Lonely Star No More
by Invader Kathy Starsky
Summary: Aer-Rohn/Aaron has been through a lot. So, upon entering a new world full of people and things he could never have imagined, Aaron doesn't know what to make of it. But as he rises to a new found purpose, he will learn that coming to Duckburg was the best thing that could have happened to him. Warnings: Bi OC, one-sided Mark BeaksxOC. Fluff and tears in some cases.
1. Chapter 1

Lonely Star No More

Summary: Upon waking up in a world not his own, Aer-Rohn/Aaron Vellvett creates bonds with the most unusual of characters who give him the support, care, and wisdom he needs as he becomes Duckburg's new defender.

Disclaimer: I just own the OCs and the idea for the crossover fanfic along with some references and a few minor inventions. All characters that you know are not OCs in the story belong to their respected creators (Disney/Marvel).

Warnings: OCs, crossovers, some crossovers/references, violence, blood, angst, fluff, AU, some slash implied, bi main OC, sibling bonding, some OOCness, slight language, and bromance. Setting things up to have more yaoi in future sequel. Takes place after "Whatever Happened to Della Duck?" and during the events of "Treasure of the Found Lamp," "The Outlaw Scrooge McDuck," "The 87 Cents Solution," and "The Golden Spear." Don't like slash in any doses or where this plot or future plots are going, then don't read. We have the back button for a reason. For those interested, please enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 1: Duck, Duck, Whatever You Are

Duckburg was known for its unusual events but even the most hectic of cities and their inhabitants needed rest. Both the do-gooders and the criminals equally. While there were a few late-night stragglers, some working graveyard shifts or cramming for tests while others were simply out grabbing something to quench their midnight appetites. However, even with the brightness of the moon, stars, and streetlights, the citizens of the metropolis new better than to allow their guards down at night.

Who knew when a stray trio of Beagle Boys or rogue robot may attack from the shadows?

Other than that, the peace of the darkness created an atmosphere that, while eerie, was also comforting, like a worn lullaby that crooned everyone who could hear it into a state of carefree and ignorance. It was a perfect setting to relax the residents-or even attract the visitors. Especially when said visitor came from the most unexpected of places.

In an alleyway, not that anyone was there to notice since they avoided shadowy spaces as said before, there was a flash of blinding blue light that seemed to vanish just as it had appeared. Fading into mild wispy shockwaves that vanished like a mist in the presence of the Sun, all that was left was the smell of something lightly scorched and a new, unfamiliar smell left by the strange energy. But that was not what was significant about the light itself.

The new beings that were left in place of the mysterious light were silent as they laid on the ground, stunned and exhausted from their unconventional travel. Suddenly, the larger of the two coughed and gasped, heaving as their dark drenched figure pushed themselves onto their hands and knees, struggling to breathe and calm themselves at the same time. The smaller figure came to rise and stand on four legs, giving itself a shake before trotting over to a small black, gray, and blue cube, its body obscured the object as wet, gargling growl was heard from its small form. It then trotted over to its companion who had stopped heaving wheezing and now lay against the dingy, dark alley wall taking in the dimmed surroundings.

The four-legged creature proceeded to plop themselves in the larger form's lap and let a low rumbling purr emit as they nuzzled their two-legged companion's chest. Heaving a sigh of content and relief, the larger of the two newcomers held the smaller one close as they listened to the faint sound of crickets and the louder sound of cars driving by. They cradled their companion closer for warmth as their eye lids grew heavy.

"It's okay, it's okay," the larger of the two said, the voice revealing them to be male though no one would know it unless they heard it. "We're fine. It's safe here…Well, _wherever_ here is."

His companion just stared up at him with cornflower blue eyes and mewled.

After what seemed like forever, both drifted into a deep sleep, uncertain of what was to come.

* * *

The morning Sun came bright and early without any regards for the ones who had not gotten their seven to nine hours of sleep or just wanted to lay in their beds. Thankfully, Webby Vanderquack was not one to allow a seemingly short night of sleep to stop her as she was a morning person, mostly due to her grandmother's influence. Stretching her limbs as she did each day, Webby grinned as she welcomed another Saturday morning in Duckburg, and just as spring was at its finest peaks, soon to give way to summer. Jumping out of bed, then quickly making it, she was about to rush to the bathroom to brush her tooth when she caught sight of something on her nightstand.

Her smile dropped her little and her eyes caught sight of the two bright and colorful friendship bracelets on her wrists.

It had been several months since she had lost Lena due to Magica's lust for vengeance and power during the Shadow War. While it got a little easier, it did not make her miss her friend any less, even as she had her grandmother and surrogate family around. And although it always seemed that she felt that Lena was right there with her, it wasn't the same as having her physically there. To laugh with. To hug. To do fun and rebellious kid stuff with.

She shook her head as she wiped her eyes, muttering to herself, "Nope. No way. Not gonna let myself be down in the dumps this morning."

Feeling a little better, she continued with her morning routine, which involved some swinging to-and-fro to make sure her room was tidy, before she exited the door. She gave a small sad smile at her bracelets tied tightly, but not uncomfortably, on her wrist. Once she was downstairs, she was greeted with the sight of her grandmother and Duckworth serving Scrooge, Donald, and the triplets. Beakley and her co-worker, having returned from the grave, seemed to be in some sort of silent competition as they gave each other sharp glances when the other five weren't looking.

Tearing her challenging gaze from the ghost butler, she smiled lovingly at the lone female duckling and greeted, "Good morning, dear."

"Morning, Granny! Morning, everybody!" the retired spy's granddaughter chirped happily as she sat down as a plate of French toast with crème fraiche and in season strawberries before noticing something. "Hey, where's Launchpad? I thought he was gonna join us for breakfast today."

"He was but last night he heard that there's some fancy new food trucks coming to town for some food festival and he was really excited about some of them so he decided that that's gonna be breakfast," Huey said with a faint hint of disapproval in his voice. "But Junior Woodchuck Guidelines decree that a person should start with their day with healthy, homecooked breakfast."

"Ugh! Dude, leave Launchpad alone," Dewey quipped at his brother with a roll of his eyes. "Give that Junior Woodchuck stuff a rest for just a minute!"

"Dewey, don't bother," Louie muttered from where he sat rotating between eating his omelet and texting on his phone. "We're gonna be hearing it all day today so might as well bear through it. Who knows, it'll probably act as an immunity shot for what we're gonna go through today."

"Dewey, Louie, be nice," Donald scolded sharply as he looked up from his own meal.

"Why? What's today?" Webby asked curiously as she stared at the three Duck brothers.

"It's the Annual Junior Woodchucks family picnic!" the red-wearing duckling exclaimed excitedly. "It's custom to invite immediate family or blood relatives to attend a whole day of woodsy, wholesome fun."

The blue and green wearing ducklings had expressions that made it seem that their brother had said the opposite of something that was suppose to be a happy occasion.

"Are you going to Uncle Scrooge?" Webby turned her attention to the richest duck in the world.

The eldest of the group looked up from his newspaper to look at his surrogate grandniece as he answered, "Only for a wee bit, lass. I have board meeting later this evening and I can't get out of it. Gyro's gonna be there and you know how he still struggles when talking with people who he thinks are planning to criticize his genius and cut his funding on the spot."

"And I will be having some quiet time in my own personal realm," Duckworth put in as he swooped in to refill Dewey's empty orange juice glass. "So, I will unfortunately not be present."

The strong, regal female duck gave her other worldly acquaintance a look that almost seemed to say "no one cares," before asking her granddaughter gently, "And what about you dear? What will you be doing today?"

Originally Webby was going to ask the boys if they would like to accompany her to the new archaeobotany exhibit at the Duckburg Science Museum before going to amphitheater-_Lena's _former home- or the park to play Extreme Hide & Seek or skip rocks. And to finally wrap it all up, they would check out the new sweet shop, Sugar Blush. Beakley had already told her that a day earlier she would be having tea with an old male acquaintance and that Webby should go out to do as she pleased. But now it would seem she would have to go it alone. Still, she wasn't about to let anyone feel guilty or let on about how lonely she felt. Nor did she want to intrude on what seemed like a Guys' Day Out.

Putting on her brightest and most sincere smile, she said, "I was planning to check out a new exhibit at the museum! Probably then go hang out at the park to practice my stealth skills or something."

Satisfied with her granddaughter's answer, Beakley nodded, "Alright, just remember to be careful and to be home for dinner."

The retired spy's granddaughter nodded before digging into her piping hot French toast. But it still didn't change how lonely she felt on the inside.

* * *

With the end to a peaceful and uneventful night, as far as the citizens knew, came the start of busy day in bustling city filled with characters from different walks of life. Cars honked and revved as the drivers and passengers focused on getting to their destinations, adults doing their jobs whilst their children were left to their own chores and devices. The flower buds opened to embrace the morning rays, only noticed by those who were not rushing. As a matter of fact, there seemed to be a lot of things that were going unnoticed except by those who appreciated those same things.

One person who was paying attention to the underappreciated details sat idly and apprehensively in the lone alley.

"I am definitely not on my Earth anymore," a male voice whispered to himself in the alley. "Most definitely not in the same universe either, I bet."

Aaron, the owner of the voice, sighed as he ran a hand through his ruffled reddish auburn hair as his blue eyes gazed curiously and warily, without hostility, at the passing anthros. His lightly tanned skin, yes skin, was slightly dirty like his hair, not enough to make him look like some street urchin but definitely enough to show he needed to a nice warm bath. His clothes, a slate and stormy blue plaid button up shirt, a pair of faded denims, were the same; while wrinkled with a few small stains, he did not look like some shady member of the black market or substance abuser. The humanoid's baby blue eyes looked up to the equally soft colored sky, giving him a small sense of content and relief.

He was startled from his thoughts upon hearing a slight, "Meow."

He turned to see a Himalayan cat, to the naked eye, with a sage green color and a golden paw-shaped tag with the name 'Nutmeg.' Right in front of the feline was a small parcel wrapped in white wax paper and smelled quite appetizing.

"Good girl. You're a lifesaver, Nutmeg," Aaron chuckled which earned him a lick across his faintly freckled face from his 'feline' friend, almost as if she was trying to absorb as much praise as she could.

Picking up the parcel, the auburn-haired humanoid unwrapped it to find a cheeseburger. Although he was slightly shocked to discover that these anthros ate meat, he shrugged and accepted it. He was no stranger to species that ate the flesh of other creatures, humans included, so who was he to judge? As he ate, he gave his furry companion generous chunks of the sandwich to which the female Himalayan eagerly and gratefully accepted.

Once he finished, he remained seated as he cradled his dear, four-legged friend in his lap. While he had been startled and, perhaps, a little terrified upon seeing the inhabitants, he had mostly gotten over his fear. Especially when he saw how closely they mimicked the humans of his dimension. However, he couldn't help but feel that these individuals were of the more innocent variety than those he had met over the past week before his untimely and unexpected entrance into this realm.

"On a scale of one to ten, how much would you think these guys would freak out if I just stepped out and they all saw me?" the auburn-haired young man inquired as his baby blue eyes meeting Nutmeg's cornflower ones.

Her only response was a flicking ear.

"I'm gonna have to go with a ten," Aaron said, trying to sound cool and confident. "We'll just wait a bit and, when we feel brave enough, we'll reveal ourselves. I mean, we can't hide forever. We've…already done enough of that. Who knows? Maybe this new world can offer us a fresh start. That'll be good for us."

Even as he himself knew how forced his words were, the feline being merely nuzzle his chin with her head to, showing her support.

* * *

Webby hummed to herself thoughtfully as she strolled through the exhibit, looking at all the ancient plant-related artifacts and samples. She couldn't help but stop and cringe when she came across a fossil that featured strikingly familiar remains of a certain carnivorous plant they had encountered not too long ago. Upon reading the plaque that stated its whereabouts, she felt a shiver crawled up her spine which resulted in her rushing away from that particular plant. She considered telling the curators but decided that considering the battle with and defeat of the _Drocera occidendum_, it appeared to be a moot point.

It was then that she realized that she was now in the astronomy section/planetarium of the museum. Seeing the depictions of the countless stars, planets, and other celestial bodies, the lone female duckling couldn't but get lost in her thoughts. She recalled how months prior, all the work that she and Dewey had done, had led to them finding out the heart-breaking secret of how their mother, Della Duck, was lost to the stars. In the aftermath of the short fallout with Scrooge, the triplets, Donald, Beakley, and Webby had deserted Scrooge out of anguish, leaving him open to a Magica-possessed Lena to manipulate and steal from.

Sometimes Webby would look back and wondered how things could have gone differently if someone, or perhaps all of them, had stayed instead of giving into their grief and anger momentarily. Maybe they could have caught Magica in the act of using her friend's body to steal the experienced drake's Number One Dime. Maybe they could have saved the shadow-born girl and banished the wicked sorceress before she even had the chance to enact her revenge. Maybe…

Webby shook her head furiously as she wiped her eyes clear of the coming tears, muttering, "No, no…what happened has happened. No use dwelling on it."

Her small period of sadness disappeared entirely when she heard the museum entrance doors slam open and slew of gasps and screams.

Never having been the one to run from danger first, the female duckling rushed to the source of the commotion. Upon getting to the main entrance space, she saw what was going on. And _who _was causing it. Right in the entrance were the familiar forms of the Beagle Boys-Big Time, Bouncer, and Burger- which was scary by itself, whether or not they were wearing masks over their bandit masks, which they were. What made the situation even more frightening wasn't the unconventional weapons on hand, a rake, a baseball bat, and a harpoon, but the one who was accompanying them.

Ma Beagle strode forward to stand in front of her boys, wearing the same mask she had worn to crashing Scrooge's birthday party, according to the triplets, and smiled as she yelled, "This is a hostage situation! Nobody move! And don't even think of being a hero or my boys will rough you up!"

After a minute, the Beagle matriarch's cruel smile twisted into a scowl of annoyance as she turned to look at her sons, "Bouncer!"

"Huh?" the largest of the three inquired in confusion before it clicked. "Oh, right!"

In one quick move, Bouncer grabbed a small glass table and smashed it on the floor. The action worked like gunshot as everyone quickly ran for cover, got on their knees with their hands in the air, or fled in hopes of getting to an exit to escape the situation. The Beagle Boys quickly reacted, Big Time and Burger going after the fleeing museum goers while Bouncer rounded up the ones who had stayed frozen.

"We practiced this like two hundred times, Bouncer!" Ma Beagle berated irritably.

"Sorry Ma," Bouncer whimpered, head downcast.

Webby didn't hear the rest of the conversation as she was already seeking a hiding spot, trying to formulate a plan while wishing her family was here right now.

* * *

Aaron had no idea what he was thinking when he decided to climb on top of the rooftop. Maybe it was the need to have better cover or the desire to see the rest of the city from a good view but he was glad that he did. One reason was because he couldn't help but find the view breathtaking with the way he could see how vast the city was. Granted he didn't see beyond that due to building's limited height but he it was enough for now. And the second reason was because he managed to notice a group of four aggressive looking canine anthros with masks and blunt objects walk into a larger, aesthetic building.

The screams from the building, the gathering of people, and Nutmeg's growling from where she perched on his shoulder confirmed what he was thinking.

Acting fast, Aaron quickly made his way off the building and leaped through any crevice he could find that would both hide him from the public while allowing him to get to his destination faster. It was a difficult challenge but he was no stranger to those, having faced them quite often, but he felt some comfort with how Nutmeg bounded alongside him. The blue-eyed adolescent finally found himself on the side of the building where the criminal commotion was commencing at. Pressing himself against the wall, he peered to see what was going on.

He saw a number of people trying to look or even get past the few police officers who arrived. Quite a few of them were even trying to record with their phones while others were talking and yelling at the law enforcers. Aaron quickly moved farther away from the front before he got to the more obscuring corner of the building. He had heard the words "science museum" and had a good feeling that's what this place was. The newcomer to the city looked around but unfortunately found many of the exit doors locked from the inside and the windows surrounded by bars.

"There's gotta be a way inside," he murmured to himself.

Nutmeg suddenly leaped off the ground, onto his shoulder, and then to the edge of the roof with grace and agility that went beyond that of normal cats. Aaron followed as quickly, finding himself on the roof in a matter of seconds, where he found his companion perched near an open sun roof window in an almost haughty manner.

"Remind me to get you some treats after this," he remarked with a grin, allowing her to climb onto his shoulder once again before he leaped into the entrance.

* * *

Gloria Cabrera could not believe the day she was having. First, she woke up late and barely had time to grab a coffee and a granola bar, the former being half spilled onto the passenger side seat of her police cruiser. Then she finds out she had left her badge at home and while her son had enough time to bring it to her, he had also reminded her of how she was suppose to give a present to her college roommate, now a museum curator, that afternoon. As if having to rush through her reports wasn't bad enough, Gloria had basically skipped lunch to grab a last minute birthday present in the form of a gift card and a small bouquet of flowers. And to top it all off, turns out her former roommate wasn't working that day, having taken the day off to go have brunch with her family, go to the mall, and then to the movies.

After leaving the flowers and gift card with another curator, the police officer was about to leave and go grab a quick slice of pizza, not caring if she was late, before heading back to work. But of course, there had to be one extra _surprise _to add to her plate of unwanted events. She had thankfully been able to avoid being seen and caught by the Beagle Boys, giving her a chance to not only call for back up and her son but also get those who evaded capture to safety.

"Stay in here and don't come out for anything," she firmly said to a young kindergarten teacher and her three students, all four having taken refuge while the rest of the class was hidden in different spots by the older female duck, who nodded fearfully.

Closing the door as quietly as she could, Officer Cabrera proceeded to make her way back to where Ma Beagle and the Beagle Boys were holding their hostages in place. Slowly pulling out her gun while keeping the safety on, Gloria made her way to the soon-to-be apprehended criminals, careful as she rounded each corner. Striding through the marine biology section, she froze upon hearing a creaking from the corner of the room.

Twisting to where she heard it, which was a large tank containing jellyfish, she ordered sharply, "Whoever's there, come out with your hands up! _¡Ahora!_"

A minute went by before Webby slowly stepped out from behind the tank, hands up while grinning nervously, "What appears to be the problem, Officer?"

Gloria felt a speeding heart go down a little as she placed a hand over her chest, lowering her gun, "Dios Mio, you scared me!"

"Ditto," Webby piped up as she put her hands down, nervousness dripping away as she knew she was in the presence of a competent and non-criminal individual.

"Hey, I know you! You're that chica who hangs out with my son's employer's kids, aren't you?" the police officer inquired.

The female duckling quickly nodded, "Yup! Webby Vanderquack!"

"Officer Cabrera," Gloria confirmed with a slight smile before urgently saying. "Have you see the Beagle Boys?"

"Not since they started grabbing people to use as hostages," Webby said quickly. "But I'm pretty sure they're in the dinosaur exhibit."

"Gracias, sweetie. Now you need to go hide," Gloria said as she gestured to where the female duckling had been hiding moments before.

"But I can help!" Webby protested earnestly.

"Look, I can't keep an eye on you while apprehending that bruja and her crew at the same time," the Cabrera matriarch said patiently.

"I've taken these guys down before!" the pre-teen duckling insisted with stubbornness and determination.

Ah, Gloria thought she recognized the young girl. She had recalled seeing the girl on the news months prior when the shadow creatures had been defeated by Scrooge McDuck and his nephews along with several others. The police officer also recalled having seen glimpses of the girl when she dropped by her son's work to check on him or to give him something he forgotten. No doubt that the girl was probably a relative of one of McDuck's associates, if not a blood relative of the billionaire himself.

The Cabrera matriarch was in a tough spot; she didn't want to put the kid in danger, both for the reason that she couldn't live with herself if a child got her because of her poor judgement. She also feared for her son's reputation if his employers were to find out that his own mother was to blame for the kid getting hurt or worse. But as she looked at the ferocity and excitement in the girl's eyes reminded Gloria of herself in her own childhood, never faltering and always willing to take a risk. And, then again, there was the fact she hung out with the most adventurous, oldest duck in the world and she hadn't even hit puberty yet.

Sighing, the police officer spoke, "This goes against my better judgement but I'm allowing it. Just this once."

A grin of great tenacity spread over Webby's face as she straightened up and saluted, "Got it!"

Both law enforcer and citizen slowly made their way to their destination, keeping an eye out for the criminals in question. After a few minutes, they found themselves rounding a corner to discover what they had been looking for. The two pressed themselves against a wall as they peered around the corner to look at the scene taking place. A group of people, ages ranging from young adults to elderly, from museum goers to employees, were all knelt on the floor, heads down cast as their hands and arms covered the back of their skulls like crude knight shields. Although neither of Webby or Gloria could see their faces from where they were, they knew the hostages were absolutely terrified. It didn't help that Burger Beagle was pacing in front of them, holding the harpoon like that of a soldier.

"What do you mean _science _museum!?" the Beagle matriarch shrieked at Big Time.

The shortest of the younger Beagles shrunk as he stuttered, "I read that there was a big exhibit happening and I thought we come and cash in on it. It said wonders beyond imaginable!"

"And you didn't see that it was for some worthless little kiddy educational museum rather than for one that had priceless relics and art that would actually be worth money?!" the mother of the crime family continued to berate her son.

"N-No, I-I guess not," the pudgy head of the trio whispered as he took off his green cap and scratched his head nervously.

"Ugh, for Pete's sake, this is getting old," Ma Beagle muttered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose and her eye lids.

"Okay, what's the plan?" Webby inquired in a hushed tone as she stared hard at the scenario.

"Well, first we're gonna need a distraction. I think we can-," the Cabrera matriarch began but stopped when she saw the girl squinting hard at the crime family. "What is it?"

"This seems too easy," the female duckling murmured. "And where's Bouncer?"

"Who?" the police officer asked in confusion.

"Me," a gruff voice snarled from behind.

Both whipped around to meet the menacingly, smiling face of the tallest and most muscular member of the four Beagles present. Before either had a chance to react, Bouncer grabbed with one giant, meaty hand each.

"Hey, Ma look! I caught some stragglers!" Bouncer announced proudly, as if hoping this would ease his mother's wrath and earn some of her rarely gifted praise.

Turning away from Big Time, the older female Beagle turned to look at the captives in her son's grasp, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Beakley's little grandbrat. Though I don't usually see you without Scrooge's own brat pack. What happened, they got tired of you just like how Duckworth got tired of your grandma?"

Webby bristled with pure anger laced with hurt but did not voice it, sufficing with glaring daggers at her grandmother's and Scrooge's longtime rival.

"You leave her alone!" Gloria snapped at the Beagle matriarch before kicking out at Bouncer. "And let us go, you pendejo!"

A second later, Big Time had the barrel of his bat tilting the brunette duck's bill and head upwards as he spat, "Don't go talking to my Mama and my brother with that tone officer. Not unless you want something to happen to the brat."

"Now is that anyway to talk to or treat ladies?"

Everyone froze at the new voice before slowly turning to the owner of it, hostages included. Out of the shadows strode the figure of a being none of them had ever seen before. This figure was tall, his height just barely reaching Launchpad's height but definitely taller than Gyro. He had a lithe and muscular frame and his body resembled that of canine anthros but they noticed that his face was completely devoid of fur and his nose and ears were totally different. Instead he had naked skin like that of amphibious or pig anthros only smoother and a silky tan color with a few barely visible freckles on his face. The only patch of anything considered feathery or furry was a somewhat messy mop of hair on his head that was the color blend of wine and cocoa but mostly wine. His eyes were a pale shade of blue and were currently narrowing defiantly at the four criminals. His clothes looked normal except for his unusual combat boots and fingerless gloves that seemed to go under the legs of his pants and the sleeves of his shirt.

"And just who, or rather **what**, are you?" Ma Beagle challenged.

"Me, oh I'm your average stranger coming to help people who are being held against their will by some degenerate criminals. You haven't happened to see them around, have you?" Aaron asked with a sarcastic-laced voice.

"Uh, no?" Bouncer said with confusion, hiding his hands and the ducks still clenched in them behind his back.

His brothers seemed to try to follow his lead by hiding their own weapons behind their backs.

"Hilarious," the newcomer said with a raised eyebrow before his voice became firm and aggressive. "Now let these people go."

"Who the heck do you think you are giving us orders, boy?" Ma Beagle yelled. "Well, we'll teach you some respect! Boys, have at him!"

Big Time, perhaps in an attempt to get back into his mother's good graces, launched himself first at the humanoid. It was a reckless attack all on its own but nobody predicted what would come next. As the shortest and pudgiest of Duckburg's crime brothers swung his bat at Aaron, the auburn-haired young man stepped away with ease. Aaron then proceeded to grab the bat with one hand and rip it away from the de facto leader of the brothers and then use it to knock his smaller opponent to the ground. Big Time hit the floor with a thud and groaned with the pain of the bat strike and hitting the floor.

Bouncer, shocked and angry at what the meddler had done to his brother, immediately dropped the two ducks, not caring of the consequences he just set forth, and began stomping ominously towards the humanoid. Aaron's eyes widened slightly, knowing the large canine anthro would be harder to handle. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the rake that the behemoth Beagle had placed against the wall. As Bouncer's fist reeled back and began heading towards his head, Aaron dodged it, rolling on the floor before coming to stop on one knee and then launching himself at Bouncer with his own fist.

And indeed, Aaron's fist connected with the brawler Beagle's face, causing a tooth or two to fly out. Stunned and disoriented from the blow, the hulking mass of Ma Beagle's sons teetered before falling on Big Time who was just about to get out, a small grunt of pain and surprise sounding out from beneath the larger fallen Beagle Boy. However, the auburn-haired young man wasn't paying attention as he was already away from his two fallen opponents, picking the rake up from the wall. But just as he turned around, he was met with Burger's harpoon sailing right towards him.

The humanoid was able to move out of the way to avoid an injury but the harpoon had managed to snag a corner of both his shirt and his denims, pinning him to the wall. Grinning at his victory, Burger grabbed the fallen Big Time's bat and began stalking chuckling lowly with malevolent intent. Aaron wasted no time in departing with his clothes, ripping them a bit in the process. Everyone, Gloria, Webby, the Beagles who were still conscious, and even a few hostages, were expecting to be greeted with the sight of the humanoid in his undergarments or completely naked. What they saw instead was something else altogether.

His so called "combat boots" and "fingerless gloves" were part of a one-piece suit but not one anyone would expect. The suit appeared to be made of a material that was both fabric with some unknown alloy. It was a dark emerald green, pitch black, and dark Roman silver in color and clung to his body, accenting his build more. In the middle of the chest of his suit was a large, eight-pointed silver star.

"Gonna need to fix those up later on," the humanoid muttered to himself as he got into a fighting stance.

Burger, having refocused on his opponent, launched forward with bat raised high up. Aaron quickly blocked the coming blow with the rake. The silent Beagle Boy tried to swing at the newcomer in a different direction but that attack was blocked too. As did the next. They went back and forth until the only conscious Beagle Boy had the auburn-haired young man almost pressed to the wall. Thinking fast, Aaron ducked at the next swing which resulted in Burger knocking over a small podium that held a small model of a duck anthro's anatomy. Rolling away from the silent but determined criminal, the humanoid came to stop by the abandoned harpoon and his still pinned clothes.

Ripping the harpoon out of the ground and leaving his clothes, Aaron charged at the other once more. As both their weapons clashed, the newcomer locked eyes with the Beagle Boy, his blue orbs challenging the malice in Burger's dark ones. Unknown to Burger, Aaron was using the stare down as a distraction as he ever so stealthily used the pointed angles of the harpoon's head to grab a hold of the bat. When he was certain the other hadn't notice, Aaron pulled back roughly with all his might and successfully used the harpoon to yank the bat away, sending it sliding to the other side of the room.

Stunned by this, Burger was unable to react in time as the humanoid tackled him to the ground and wrapped, yes wrapped, the harpoon around him like it was just an oversized pipe cleaner. Despite his shock, the silent Beagle Boy attempted to struggle out of his makeshift metal binds to no avail. Satisfied, Aaron began to turn his attention to the still paralyzed captives-

_**THWACK!**_

A burst of pain flooded his senses as he clutched his nose and jaw, hissing in pain from the sudden blow. Ma Beagle held her cane, the offensive weapon used to hit the newcomer, glowering in fury at the one who had defeated her boys.

"Not so tough now, huh pretty boy?" the Beagle matriarch inquired haughtily, her voice almost laughing at him.

"You hit harder than I thought you would," Aaron said as he felt the beginning of fluids dripping from his lip and nostrils which were still hidden. "But I'm not a big fan of hitting women or girls."

"That's why we're here."

Ma Beagle turned around too late to see Webby and Gloria coming at her with some twine. Both ducks jumped her, leading to a tussle between the three females which Aaron watched with startled but impressed eyes as, thankfully, both police officer and duckling came out the victors.

"Wow. I mean, wow," the auburn-haired young man said as he stared at them. "That was something."

Both ducks merely grinned at him before Gloria asked in a motherly tone, "Are you alright?"

"More than they are," Aaron shrugged casually while hand still held the assaulted parts of his face.

"Here, let me see," the Cabrera matriarch stated as she drew closer, hand outstretched to try and examine the humanoid's injury.

Immediately, a panicked look came across his face as he tried to back away, "O-oh no, it's fine, r-really!"

Being a mother and an officer, Gloria was not one to back down when she sensed someone was hurt. And thankfully, all the hostages that had been present in the room and escaped to safely hide while the Beagle Boys and their mother were distracted. Despite her height, she managed to reach up and grab his arm, firmly pulling it away so she could look at the damage…before stepping back with surprise.

Yes, the hit that Ma Beagle had dealt out to his face had drawn fluids but she not expecting the color. Midnight blue liquid dripped from his nostrils and a cut on his lip, staining his hand and the floor with specks of the strange blood.

"Whoa," Webby breathed as she saw the color of their new ally's blood.

"Yeah, uh, I can kind of explain," Aaron began sheepishly.

They were interrupted as they saw Big Time pull himself out from beneath his brother and charge at them, yelling out a war cry. Aaron was quick to jump protectively in front of both Webby and Gloria was ready to take the blow when it happened.

A large set of burgundy tentacles burst from somewhere in the hallway and grabbed Big Time before it began whipping him around, eliciting very non-criminal and feminine screams from the de facto leader of the criminal brothers. The two ducks watched in morbid, silent fascination while Aaron merely looked on with mild surprise. It finally came to an end when the tentacles slammed Big Time into a wall, rendering him unconscious like Bouncer still was from the hard punch that was delivered by the humanoid.

When the tentacles retreated, a Himalayan cat trotted towards them, acting as if though there was not a care in the world and that a hostage situation hadn't gone down.

With a tired smile, Aaron strode over and gently lifted the so-called cat to cradle it like baby, "I can always count on you to never stay put, can't I Nutmeg? Smart Flerken."

"Smart what?" Webby said in confusion.

Turning around, the auburn-haired young man spoke, "Listen, I know you have a lot of questions and I can answer them. And I will. But you gotta promise to keep an open mind to everything I'm about to say."

"Oh, don't start yet! I haven't even gotten the snacks."

All three jumped and turned to meet yet another new face on this very exciting and unpredictable day. Slowly, the new figure stepped out of the shadows to reveal themselves to be a female anthro as the voice had led on. The anthro was a goshawk that appeared to be in her mid or late forties with hickory brown hair that was done into a short but stylish bob. She wore a black pantsuit with a garnet colored coat over it that brought out her cinnamon brown orbs quite nicely.

"And who are you?" Gloria demanded as she protectively pushed Webby behind her while wishing she could do the same for the obviously nervous humanoid.

"My name is Noreen Flurry," the goshawk said, voice cool and unintimidated as she gestured at Aaron and Nutmeg. "And these two are coming with me."

As she said that, anthros in SWAT-like attire and suits alike also seemed to emerge out of the emptiness of the shadows, guns at the ready. Webby gasped which resulted in Gloria holding her closer as they watched Aaron get surrounded.

"And that's not a request," Flurry said simply.

The humanoid only gulped.

* * *

Well, here it is! My first Ducktales/Marvel fic! In case some of you got confused, let me straighten things out; yes Aaron is Kree and Nutmeg is a Flerken (Marvel lovers and anyone who has watched _Captain Marvel _knows that Kree can look like normal humans except for their blood color while Flerkens look like Earth cats). And like I said, this fanfic is an AU to both Ducktales 2017, _Captain Marvel_ and to _Avengers Infinity War/Endgame_ (mostly _Endgame _but that'll be focused on in few fics). So enjoy for now and I'll explain more as we go along! And yes, Noreen Flurry is a Ducktales OC answer to Nick Fury. A female anthro answer. I regret nothing. Please enjoy! Haters and flamers, kindly back off! See you all in Chapter 2!


	2. Chapter : A Kree In Need

Chapter 2: A Kree In Need

Aaron felt his heart palpitate wildly, even as he sat as still as possible on the stainless steel chair, an impeccably polished cherry wood table, and glaring, fluorescent lights that seemed to bleach and sanitize every part of the room. Nutmeg mewled as she nuzzled her head against his hand, perched undauntedly on his lap, same way she would behave as if they were just enjoying a quiet sitting on a park bench. This caused him to relax a bit but not entirely, especially with the lack of noise from a visual of what was happening outside the room, heart still acting like a caged, wild avian demanding its freedom which was humorous considering the ones who put him here.

Even when they led him and his furry companion to large black van (but not without news teams capturing footage of Duckburg's unusual new visitor who he had heard described him as a "hairless ape") he was more comfortable. Sure, he had been put in the backseat with armed guards but he could see and hear the other cars and even eavesdropped on some whispered conversation, the last he did feel a bit guilty about. But putting that aside, being in this nearly deafly silent room was pushing him to a high level of anxiety.

Just as he was sure that he would lose it, sweet relief came as the door creaked open only to be partially replaced with a new sense of fear and curiosity as Flurry stepped in. Ever so slowly, she closed the door and locked it with an audible click, almost as if trying to goad the auburn-haired young man to just try and run out. However, Aaron just straightened his posture and nodded gently at her as if to assure her he would do no such thing. Seeming to be satisfied, the female goshawk strode over to the table, never breaking eye contact as she pulled out the other cold chair to sit in, but not before taking off her coat and hanging it on the back of said chair.

Folding her hands together on the table top, she said in calm and civil voice that offered no hints of hostility, "Sorry it took so long. Dang paparazzi nearly needed to be sedated to get off our butts."

Despite the still apparent seriousness, Aaron couldn't help but snort and give a smile.

The anthro official did something similar before saying in a dutiful tone, "Okay, let's get to business. Who are you and what are you?"

Pausing, the humanoid's expression firmed slightly, inhaling and exhaling as he answered, "My name is Aaron. And I am a Kree."

"And a Kree is?" Flurry inquired insistently while gesturing with her hands.

"A race of advanced, science and military wise, beings from the Planet Hala," Aaron stated with a straight-forward expression and an obedient tone as though he was speaking to a teacher. "And I know it sounds like the slang 'Holla!' but I'm being serious."

"Please, I've heard worse names," the female goshawk said in an unimpressed tone. "How did you get here? I highly doubt you got here by a ship. We would have found it. Cloaked, buried, or self-destructed."

"Well, that's because I didn't get here by ship," the young male Kree said in a polite, as-a-matter-of-fact voice. "It wasn't even planned."

"What do you mean?" the anthro official inquired in a more softer and perplexed tone.

"I mean, I didn't come to this Earth by choice," the auburn-haired young man explained. "I was ta-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Flurry interrupted, waving her hands to signal him to stop his explanation. "Did you just say '_this_ Earth?' As in there's another Earth?"

Ever so carefully, Aaron nodded as he continued to pet Nutmeg as she began washing her face.

"Okay listen, I need you to start from the very beginning," Flurry said in a stern and urgent voice but managed to keep aggression out of it.

"Well, that's sort of a long story," the young Kree said a little hesitantly.

"Believe me, we got the time," the official anthro said as she crossed her arms in front of her chest while leaning back. "Now spill, kid."

Shifting a bit to make himself more comfortable and to prepare for a long sitting, the auburn-haired young man began, "Well, like I said I was born on Planet Hala. Back when I lived there my name was Aer-Rohn."

"Aer-Rohn?" Flurry echoed in confusion.

Nodding, he continued, "Yes, that's how it was pronounced there. Lucky me, I was born with a name that could easily be changed to a Terran name."

"And Terran is?" the goshawk inquired once again.

"It was the universal name for the inhabitants of Earth," Aaron said. "Well, except for the Earth inhabitants themselves. Back then, most of them were unaware that life existed outside their solar system."

After Flurry nodded for him to go on, he added, "My parents names were Vahn-Korr and Meer-Rah. My mother was part of the Starforce, that's the military task force of the Kree Empire. My father…well, actually I don't know what he did."

"Now how can you know what your mom did for a living but not what your dad did to help put food on the table?" Flurry asked.

"Everything I was told about my parents was through my godmother," the young Kree explained, voice dropping as sorrow made itself apparent. "I don't remember much about them. They were…killed when I was very young. And my godmother only told me some things about them before I lost her too."

"Oh," Flurry's voice changed to sincere sympathy. "I'm sorry. That must be tough. Losing all of your family like that."

"Yeah," Aaron nodded numbly before shaking himself out of it and saying. "But there's no use sitting around feeling sorry for myself."

"And this happened on the _other _Earth?" the anthro official questioned carefully.

"I was told my mom died during an off world mission and my dad was killed in some sort of civil dispute on Hala. My godmother…met her end on Earth," the young Kree explained.

"And what was that Earth like?" the female goshawk persisted.

"Well," Aaron began. "It was easy to blend in. Namely because the Kree and the Terran looked exactly alike."

Flurry's brows rose with interest, "Exactly alike?"

"I mean, there are a few Kree with blue skin to go with our blue blood, which you saw," the auburn-haired young man gestured to his ruined street clothes that he used to clean his face of his midnight blue blood. "You can imagine how surprised I was to find myself on a planet populated with creatures who, back on my Earth, were not of the talking variety."

"So, our species were primitive in the world you grew up in?" the female goshawk concluded with a bit of shock but mostly understanding.

"You could say that," Aaron nodded, not wanting to mention how he would go to the pond to feed bread to the homosapien Earth's mallards and their young when he was little. "You know, let's label that Earth as Earth M and your Earth as Earth D."

"Fine by me. So, just what were you and your godmother doing on Earth M instead of Hala?" Flurry asked.

"She was a scientist developing light speed engines to end the Kree-Skrull wars," the auburn-haired young man said. "The Skrulls are a race of beings who can take the form of anyone or anything. What the people of Hala didn't know was that the reason the wars started was because the Skrull refused to be ruled by the Kree government."

"And they weren't about to let anyone escape their grasps, right?" Flurry said knowingly with a grave tone.

Aaron sighed as he shamefully nodded and confirmed, "Yes, the oh-so-beloved belief of the Kree is that other species and planets need to be kept under their thumbs. And those who resist…need to be exterminated. That's why the wars started. My godmother saw how wrong they were."

"So she was a traitor," Flurry said without hesitation but instantly regretted when an offended look came across the young Kree's face, eyes filling with hurt, defiance, and insult.

"A traitor is someone who betrays their people for personal gain," Aaron managed to say in an even tone. "My godmother was a freedom fighter. She saw a shameful war that would bring the end of an innocent race who just wanted to keep their own sovereignty and freedom. So, she began using her work and invention to create a way for the Skrull to get far away from the Kree and find a new home. She turned on the people who lied to her so she could help those in need and who were wronged by the Kree government and the Supreme Intelligence."

"The Supreme Intelligence?" the anthro official echoed curiously.

"It's the embodiment of Hala's greatest minds. An AI, to be specific," the young Kree explained. "No one has ever seen its true form. I never saw it but I heard that it takes the shape of the person you most admire and respect."

"Huh," the female goshawk gave an impressed sounding noise. "So, what did you do after you lost your godmother? Did you have anyone to go to?"

"No, my grandparents on both sides died before I was born or could walk. Both of my parents were only children. And my godmother didn't want to leave me behind to be raised by some Kree family that would teach me how to mistreat other species and spit on them. And I am forever grateful for that because, honestly, I'm 90% sure there's no lost love between my birth planet and myself," the auburn-haired young man explained a bit grimly. "The other 10%...I guess I'm hoping that I will someday visit Hala and see that it has changed."

"So, no one took you in when she died?" Flurry said in tone that remained stoic but thinly veiled her sympathy.

"Being on a remote planet, even with a species that looks like yours, is hard but having a child to care for amplifies that hardship. I mean, imagine if she had let me go to a Terran public school and some bully shoved me and I bled fluid the color of a blue raspberry slushie?" Aaron said with an uneasy grin as he tried to lighten the situation. "So, she basically homeschooled me and only let a few neighbors that she grew close with near me. That does not include the Skrull refugees who were hiding in human disguises who would come to visit to see the progress on the light engine. God, I don't even know what happened to them."

"You've lost me. How can the people you grew up with not take you in? And how can you not know what happened to them?" the anthro official insisted in conducted but still confused fashion.

The young Kree had a troubled look on his face as he sighed, "Well, that's because I was locked into a cryo-stasis chamber. It's only used in instances where Starforce soldiers were in critical situations. Usually in cases of long journey with limited supplies."

"And when did this happen?" Flurry asked slowly, already having a sinking feeling.

Aaron bit his lip, looking uneasy before, saying in final tone, "…1989."

"Come again," the female goshawk said, eyes surprised but not panicked, her sentence more of a command than a question.

"I was born around 1970 and my godmother brought us to Earth M around 1976 or '77. And, like I said, she kept me away from the public, so nobody thought to look for me when I "disappeared" in '89," the auburn-haired young man explained calmly.

"So, you were basically out for about three decades. How long have you been awake?" Flurry asked, shock no longer apparent physically as her voice became full of curiosity.

"About a week. On Earth M that is. I've only been on Earth D for about a day, but of course you already knew that," the young Kree said as he gestured with his hands.

"So, you're technically in your late forties," Flurry stated the sentence as a fact. "But what are you biologically?"

"Well, I was almost nineteen when we were alerted that Yon-Rogg, the leader of the Starforce, was coming," the young Kree's voice lowered as he recalled. "I wanted to help her. I wanted so badly to fight to protect everything that she had worked for. That we had made. The lives who we promised to help. But something happened."

* * *

_**Flashback…**_

"_Here, kid," a tired but warm female voice said as Aaron turned just in time to be presented with a navy blue mug with a white lion on it. "You look like you could use a pick me up."_

_Smiling, Aaron took the mug, breathing in the rich scent of the dark liquid, before sighing a grateful, "Thank you."_

_As he took a sip, he failed to fully acknowledge the glimmer of sadness in the older woman's eyes. Or the slight aftertaste of his drink, putting it off as a spice she added. Cardamom? Ginger? He mildly shrugged as he finished it in one final large gulp. _

_Barely five minutes later, he felt his eyelids flutter as energy began to leave him which was strange as it was still early in the evening. Suddenly, his fingers began to feel heavy, causing him to drop the tools he had been using to tinker with a small mechanism. His vision started to become fuzzy as his mind started to spin into darkness. As he felt his upper body slump into the chair, he felt a gentle touch to his head and a drop of something cascade down his cheek. _

_The last thing he heard was, "I'm sorry kiddo…I love you."_

_**End of Flashback **_

* * *

"That's all I remember before I blacked out," Aaron stated softly. "She most likely drugged me to keep me from being snatched by Yon-Rogg."

"How are you certain she's gone?" Flurry probed without any accusation in her sentence.

"Well, she never came back for me for one thing," the auburn-haired young man stated as he began scratching Nutmeg under her chin. "And it was the first thing I looked up was her Earth name. I found her obituary which only mentioned me as a "distant relative." She was always talking about how members of Starforce don't take any Kree who betrays the empire alive and I believe those words, especially now. Not to mention I woke up to find new people moving into what was once our house. Left the basement with Nutmeg after we cleaned up any evidence that the humans consider alien. Almost ran into one of the movers."

"And where did you go after that?" the female goshawk insisted even more curious than before, the conversation now having become like one of that between two old classmates getting to know each other better.

"Well, I kind of drifted but you would be surprised by how fast one can get from Los Angeles to New York," the young Kree shrugged as he allowed his furry friend to climb onto the table and sit idly for the moment. "But I did stop in San Fransokyo for half a day."

"A lot of these places sound like places we have here. Los Angulles, New Stork, all that," the anthro official stated. "Though I've never heard of San Fransokyo."

"It's one of the Melded Cities," Aaron explained. "It's a twist between San Francisco and Tokyo, two different regions of the world. Culture from both mixed into one metropolis. There are others like Switzerstan though San Fransokyo is the most well known for its tech advancements, second to the high technological achievements of Wakanda, a nation in Africa."

"I see," Flurry nodded in understanding, not bringing up the fact again that most of these places sounded like ones on Earth D but without animal, namely bird, pun words. "And for the final question; how did you get here?"

The young auburn-haired man paused for a moment before saying, "It was the Tesseract. Or the Protoract if I have to be more accurate."

"The what and the what?" the female goshawk spoke as though he said something in a dead language.

"The Tesseract was an artifact, property of Earth M's government even though it was just as alien to them as my godmother and I were. When she joined Project P.E.G.A.S.U.S., that's the Terran organization in charge of studying the Tesseract's power as an alternate energy source for their people," Aaron continued. "She discovered it was the very thing she needed to give her light-speed engines the extra power needed to get the surviving Skrulls as far away from the empire as possible."

"And the Protoract?" Flurry inquired, leaning a bit on her seat with even more interest than she started with.

"It was a smaller version of the Tesseract created by her and myself, infused a great amount of power but not as unlimited as the Tesseract itself. It was so if another race needed help fleeing from Kree invasions, they would have an escape," the young Kree explained. "It was the only one of its kind made. I don't know what happened to the Tesseract but I do have the Protoract. That's what brought me here."

"And how does that happen? I mean, were trying to get to a different dimension like ours or were you trying to go somewhere else in your universe?" the female goshawk inquired, seriousness returning inch by inch.

"I wasn't doing anything but examining it," the auburn-haired young man. "I was just walking around New York when it happened."

* * *

_**Flashback…**_

_Aaron gently turned the small soot black, fog gray, and cosmic blue cube around in his hands, thanking the growing darkness and nonchalant passing humans for not unveiling the oddity of the device. The only time that any human approached him was to ask if they could pet Nutmeg who, more often than not, allowed them. _

_The young Kree continued to walk, only paying slightly attention to the new building he was rounding the corner of. It had several windows, one of them was large and round with aesthetic lines running over it. There was but one door but that was not off putting to Aaron. Most likely it was just another boarding house, mainly built for young adults attending a nearby university or trying to make it in the Big Apple. _

_However, just as the auburn-haired young man was about to pass the door, the Protoract began to glow. Before he even had a chance to register what was going on, a bright emerald green beam shout from the top seam of the door before hitting the cube. Immediately, the small mechanism began to shake and glow brighter, almost blinding. As Aaron continued to keep a hold on it, he saw a medium circle of cosmic blue energy began to form underneath him._

_He didn't even get the chance to run as he and his companion were sucked in into the portal but not before he let out a yell of fear while the Flerken yowled in surprise. _

_**Flashback ends…**_

* * *

"So where is the Protoract now?" Flurry asked patiently but something in the back of her mind told her she already knew.

Giving a sheepish smile, Aaron stroked Nutmeg's head as she licked her paw, "Right here. You saw what she did to that short guy at the museum? Well, Flerkens also act as safe spaces to store things. Despite their size, these guys actually have pocket dimensions alongside organic organs to store crucial possessions or even hide a living being."

"Okay, I brought that on myself," Flurry said with a astonished expression.

However, that didn't stop her from reaching to pet the Himalayan like creature who happily butted her head against the feathered hand that smoothed down her soft, silky fur.

"She's a sweetie," the anthro official couldn't help but coo.

"She usually is to people she genuinely likes or trusts. My godmother says that Flerkens always know a person before you do," Aaron said with a smile.

"Smart woman," Flurry stated before her smile straightened into a firm line. "But I gotta know; does she have weapons stored inside of her alongside this Protoract?"

The young Kree nodded a little hesitantly and embarrassedly, "Yeah, most of them were my mom's. A few I obtained or found after I woke up."

"Well, you know we have to confiscate all of it. It's nothing against you, it's a matter of protecting our people," the female goshawk said coolly.

"Fair enough," Aaron said, biting his lip before saying. "But you kind of gotta wait for her to upchuck them on her own time. I'm certain it'll be real soon, Ms. Flurry."

"Just Flurry please," the anthro official stated. "Everyone calls me that?"

The humanoid raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Really? Even your family?"

"Yes."

"What about your neighbors?"

"Yup."

"Your friends."

"Definitely."

"Your co-workers?"

"If they want to keep their jobs."

Just then, there was a knock at the door, causing Flurry to turn her head and state, "Come in."

Instantly, a female canine anthro with blonde hair poked her head in and whispered softly, "You have visitors who want to talk to you about our new arrival. _Familiar _visitors."

Flurry's eyes widened before hardening slightly as she got up and headed for the door but not before giving Aaron a "one moment" gesture.

Once again, he was left in the quiet.

* * *

Neither Scrooge or Beakley batted an eye as the female goshawk appeared before them, posture straight and eyes just as collected as theirs.

"If I knew you two were coming, I would have grabbed us tea and crumpets," Flurry smiled dryly earning her slight smirks from the two older avian anthros.

"You haven't changed a bit, have ye Flurry," Scrooge snorted. "Still the dry-witted dame who could make even the toughest superior S.H.U.S.H. officer hang his head in defeat."

"Don't you ever forget it," Flurry said proudly. "And you know flattery never got anyone anywhere with me."

"You always did catch on pretty quickly," Beakley said with small, knowing smile. "It's about the boy."

"If ya'll were listening, he isn't exactly a boy," the female goshawk said. "And I'm not saying that because of how long he's been in stasis on the other Earth."

"So, you do believe him," the older female duck commented in a tone that made it sound as though she knew it was going to be said. "We do as well."

"Crazier things have happened. You two know that better than anyone else," Flurry commented in a straight-forward tone. "And you should also know we can't release him to you."

"Flurry, he's not a threat," the richest duck in Duckburg reasoned carefully. "For Heaven's sake, he put his own life on the line for those who couldn't fight back to defend themselves. And it's only been a day since he came."

"It's not like we want to keep him here out of spite," the youngest of the three adults argued patiently. "We just don't want his presence to cause mass hysteria. The people may tolerate the crazy shenanigans that go down in this city but introducing a being from whole other universe could spell chaos."

"Have you not seen what the news is calling him?" the Scottish drake inquired rhetorically as he pointed at the screen in the hallway.

Sure enough, the news channel was on and the title read; STRANGE ALIEN NEWCOMER TO DUCKBURG: FRIENDLY GUEST FROM ANOTHER WORLD? A picture someone had taken of Aaron as he stepped out of the museum and was guided away by Flurry's team.

"There's no use in hiding him and there's no need to," the oldest duck in the room stated self-assuredly. "I heard everything. He may be a legal adult, but inside he's still a youngster learning to grow. It doesn't matter who he's lost. That young man is still someone's bairn. And a darn fine one if they raised him to help whoever's in trouble."

The female goshawk sighed in desperate exasperation, "Look, we know we have protocols that can only be repealed by-"

"He saved my granddaughter," the British duck hen said firmly. "He deserves as much freedom as anyone else to walk the streets of this city."

That caused Flurry to stop in her tracks, "That kid was Webbigail? They do grow up fast."

When she caught sight of Beakley's victorious smile, she quickly said, "But it's not just a matter of security. Where's he gonna stay? Regulations demand he be placed in a housing unit that is both livable but without any thing that may act as a threat to his person or, and I'm not saying he will, that he can use to threaten anyone else. And considering all the stuff you two have stored in that manor, staying with you is a no-go."

"You know that officer who was there? Her son works for my company," the founder of McDuck enterprises said reasonably. "I spoke to them both and they are more than willing to let the lad stay at their home."

For a moment, Flurry seemed to be locked into a mental stare down with them. One of the finest agents that the organization had ever had been blessed with and the greatest adventurer in the world. What seemed like an eternity went by, when it was actually five minutes, before the youngest of the three adults sighed, a verbal white flag to the war of ideals.

"I gotta make a call," the anthro official said as she pulled out her phone and took a few steps back.

The two visitors watched patiently as the agent walked back and forth, voice rising and falling with whoever she was speaking to. After a solid minute of intense whispering, she hung up and turned back to them, striding smoothly.

"Alright, he can go with you. But on one condition," Flurry said without waver. "He needs to check in with you or have someone watch him and report to you for him. If he ever leaves the city, one of you or your associates need to go with him and watch him. And whatever that pet of his coughs up that isn't a hairball, we're locking it away _unless _we have situation that call for it. Is that clear?"

Although both nodded obediently with proud smiles, the female goshawk knew them enough to know better.

The anthro official then proceeded to open the door to the room and poke her head inside, slightly surprising the humanoid as she asked, "Do you know how to drive?"

"Huh?" Aaron sputtered in surprise as he stroked Nutmeg.

"Do you know how to drive?" Flurry insisted without losing patience.

"Er, yes! Yes, I do," the young Kree spoke with sincerity and genuine acknowledgement.

"Great. We'll get you a job as a driving instructor. It's the least we can do but all we're gonna do," Flurry said with a tone of finality before closing the door, taking note of his soft "thank you."

Upon facing the visitors, she announced, "Okay, we got him a job and place of residence. Any information you get from him here on out is your responsibility to report to us."

With that, she stepped back to allow them room to enter the room.

As the visitors walked into it, the same female canine who interrupted her earlier and asked attentively, "Are you sure about this, Agent Flurry?"

"We'll have to wait and see," Flurry replied before trotting away, the young canine following right behind her.

* * *

Aaron couldn't help but stare with amazed and impressed eyes as he entered the limo, blinking as he sat on the fine leather seats and inhaled the comforting scent. He didn't dare allow the Himalayan cat-like Flerken onto the seats for fear of upsetting the two old-timey dressed but suave two older ducks that were seating themselves across from him. It was then that he noticed another pair of eyes staring at him as well.

He turned to his left and discovered the same female duckling from earlier staring at him, not in fear but with inquisitive excitement. The fourth new face was the driver who was a young drake, though only a couple years older than Aaron himself, with light tawny hair, cap, and a pilot's jacket. The buffer male duck was smiling brightly at the young Kree as though they were new college roommates.

"Webbigail, Launchpad, be polite and say hello to our new acquaintance," Beakley said, lightly reprimanding her granddaughter and the driver respectively for their staring.

"Hello, please to meet you," the humanoid said as recalled his own manners, holding out his hand in greeting.

Without warning, the former spy's granddaughter quickly proceeded to grab the offered appendage and shake it with a vigor that Aaron never knew existed in anyone.

"Hi! I'm Webby!" she happily announced. "What planet are you from? What are your hobbies? Are you warrior class, science class, servant class, or are you secretly royalty? Does everyone on your planet have a alien cat like you?"

Thankfully, Launchpad was quick to cut into the barrage of questions with his own greeting, "Hi! Name's Launchpad! Need help getting around, I'm your guy. So, what's your name?"

The auburn-haired young man was quiet, thinking deeply as everyone watched with controlled anticipation. Well, Scrooge and Beakley did anyway.

Finally, he spoke, "On my planet, I was born Aer-Rohn. And back on my universe's Earth, I was renamed Aaron Lawson. But now, I think I would like to be known as Aaron Vellvett, after my godmother. Her name was Wendy Lawson aka Mar-Vell."

The billionaire businessman smiled pleasantly, "Well then, welcome to Duckburg young Aaron Vellvett."

* * *

Okay, here's Chapter 2! Like I said before, if you don't enjoy this fanfic, please depart. But if you do, stay tune and leave reviews. Yes, Aaron was near the Sanctorum Sanctum and the Protoract was touched by energy from the Time Stone. He disappeared a day before the Children of Thanos came to claim the Time and Mind Stones. And yes, I am making BH6 exist in the MCU world. I said it was AU, so sue me. Interaction between the Avengers and BH6 with the Ducktales cast will be in the far future. For now, read and enjoy!


	3. Chapter 3: A Day in Duckburg

Chapter 3: A Day in Duckburg

"Remember Pollito; be nice to our new house guest," Gloria said gently but firmly to her son as they stood outside the house, the police officer having long since gotten out of work early due to the circumstances. "That means no personal questions, no staring at him when he's not talking, no invading his privacy, and to keep all your work in your room. And if he is bringing that alien cat, please-"

"M'ma, don't worry! I promise, I'll be nice to him," Fenton nodded to his mother reassuringly with a sincere smile. "Besides, he saved your life. How could I treat him badly?"

Both mother and son stood outside their home as they waited for the arrival of the strange newcomer and his pet. Their home was not as lavished as that of McDuck Manor but it had enough space to house an extra person or two and at least one pet. They had cleared the way underused guest room of clutter, leaving only a bed, an adequate sized dresser, and a old but sturdy desk. They had even reopened the small pet door that they had awhile back when Fenton was still in school.

The Cabrera matriarch smiled as she nodded, "I know, mijo. I just want that poor boy to feel safe. Heavens know that those Beagle Boys and those people who picked him up didn't."

"I know, I wish I could have been there sooner but the Gizmoduck suit was on the fritz," the young Latino drake apologized. "But I saw on the news what happened. For someone who took out the Beagle Boys, he seems pretty young. Can you imagine how shocked I was when Mr. McDuck came to us and told us he wanted us to take him in?"

"I was surprised myself. Don't forget I was there," the police officer said before she caught sight of a familiar black limo with a dollar sign hood ornament. "They're here."

The limo pulled up to the house and braked so it was askew and hit one of the potted plants and a portion of the fence, causing both Cabreras to nearly jump out of their feathers. After a brief pause, the child-parent duo took a step forward to ready their greetings but not too much to avoid intimidating him. Scrooge and Beakley were quick to step out of the limo with Webby right behind her grandmother, all three looking unfazed by the wild car ride. A few seconds passed by before Aaron himself stepped out with Nutmeg on his shoulder, both very shaken and shocked by the naive Launchpad's manic driving.

"Fenton, Officer Cabrera, meet Aaron Vellvett. As we agreed, he'll be living with you for the time being which I must greatly thank you for," the richest duck in Duckburg said in a professional but gentle tone. "Don't worry about helping him find a job. An old colleague of ours did us the favor of getting him a job at Duckburg's Youth Driver's Ed. He starts tomorrow at nine in the morning sharp. The only other thing you have to do is give us a check in once in awhile to let us know how you all are adjusting."

The Cabreras and the young Kree all nodded, recognizing how the last part was directed at all three of them.

"Good, we'll be checking in starting tomorrow," Scrooge said with polite nod as he began to head back towards the limo but not without giving a guilty glance at the slightly cracked fence and plant pottery. "And you can expect a nice check in the mail to fix the damage my driver did to your property. I am terribly sorry about this. Have a good evening. See you two young men tomorrow."

With that, all three reentered the limo, Scrooge's scolding of Launchpad's reckless ruin of part of the Cabrera property. As the expensive automobile pulled away, a small hand wearing a bracelet and a larger one with a brown sleeve coat stuck out the window and waved goodbye. The latter's choice to wave seemed to be poorly made as he nearly hit a blue car that, thankfully, didn't crash.

Turning their attention back to the humanoid, they saw how he looked a bit bedraggled and even a little lost. Even his furry companion appeared like she could use a cozy place to curl and rest in. In other words, the determined and undaunted energy from earlier was completely drained out of him, leaving a young man, younger than Fenton, barely standing.

"Are you alright?" Gloria asked in a motherly tone as she came to stand beside Aaron.

The young Kree nodded, as he shook himself out of the daze, "Y-Yeah. It's just…been a long time since I was in a car going at that speed is all."

It was half the truth if Aaron had to be honest. He may not have attended Terran school but Mar-Vell had bought all the educational tapes that were needed for children on Earth M to survive, including those about automobiles. Even after the years he had been in stasis, the warnings he heard about getting a lift from an unknown person kept him on hist feet or on the back of the bus when he was heading to New York. No matter how tempting the idea or pleasant the person offering, the auburn-haired young man stuck to his guns and politely refused. So, for him to be in a limo driven by a good-natured but excruciatingly, sporadic driver gave his brain a run for its money.

"I bet," the Cabrera matriarch smiled gently as she took the humanoid's hand and shook it first. "I'm Gloria Crackshell-Cabrera. And this is my son, Fenton."

"Pleased to meet the guy who saved my M'ma," the young scientist said as he shook the strangely five-fingered hand as well. "We're really excited to have you here!"

"I'm glad to hear that," Aaron said, giving a friendly smile of sincerity. "Well, you guys know my name but I don't think I introduced you to Ms. Nutmeg here."

Taking that as her que, Nutmeg leapt off her owner's shoulders and proceeded to trot right up to the Cabreras before she began rubbing against their legs, purring loudly.

"Aww, you're so sweet," Gloria cooed as she picked up the female Flerken gently stroked her coat. "When you're not using those scary tentacles of yours to smack criminals around."

"Hola sweet gatita," Fenton said as he scratched Nutmeg underneath her chin which made her purr even louder.

"She likes you two," Aaron chuckled. "That's how you know she's on your side."

"Thank goodness for that," the young Latino drake laughed before looking curiously at either side of the newcomer, frowning sympathetically at the lack of baggage. "I'm guessing you don't really have any possessions, do you?"

"No, I actually do," the young Kree reassured as he gestured towards the feline like extra-terrestrial. "It's not just a defense mechanism inside this little fluff ball."

Both duck anthros stared at Nutmeg, minds slowly registering the meaning of his words.

"Whoa," Fenton said, doing nothing to hide his amazement before he noticed the darkening sky. "C'mon inside. It's almost dinner time."

The humanoid happily nodded as he followed them, taking in the layout of the backyard and pretending he didn't see the movements of the window curtains of the houses on either side.

"If the neighbors ever give you any trouble, call me or call Fenton," Gloria said protectively, shooting a glare at the house on the left.

As he stepped into the house, Aaron inhaled the scent of a spiced, hearty meal, realizing now how hungry he was. He observed the humble and wholesome interior of the Cabrera household, taking note of the general décor of furniture to the personal touches, mainly pictures. He saw quite a few of the young Latino drake and his mother, both smiling in the photos. While this warmed his heart, he couldn't help but feel pity as he came to realize there were no pictures of any male anthros who resembled a father.

Nutmeg bounded out of the Latina duck's arms before bounding towards the open door of the spare room. Before either of the three could react, they heard a wet noise combined with a mewl as they heard something plopping on soft carpet. They immediately rushed over to see what had happened but rather than seeing a dreaded ball of wet fur, they saw about five boxes laid out on the bed and floor. On one of the boxes on the bed, Nutmeg laid down calmly, staring at them as though they had done something out of the blue.

"Should I start unpacking now or after dinner?" the auburn-haired young man inquired carefully.

"After," both mother and son said simultaneously.

* * *

"No, he did not say that!" Gloria gasped after she swallowed a fork full of vaca frita and rice.

"Yes, he did. In our house. While my godmother was in the other room," Aaron said, recalling the tale of when a "conventional" minded soldier had visited the house he grew up in when he was a child.

"So, what did you do?" Fenton asked, holding a cup of ice tea but not taking a drink yet.

"Well, I noticed that he was about to sit down so I accidentally flicked a tack onto the seat before he sat down," the young Kree chuckled. "Flew four feet into the air and spilled his coffee on his pants while screaming like opera singer. He was so embarrassed, he forgot to grab his hat on the way out."

Aaron couldn't keep himself from laughing in unison with the two anthros as they continued to eat their meal which the humanoid found incredibly delicious. It reminded him of how Mar-Vell would bring home take out or how he would help his babysitters cook. He felt a bit guilty comparing this dinner to the ones he had in the past, almost as if he was using them as substitutes for all the people who had passed on or he couldn't locate. At the same time, it made him feel good to finally be in the company of others who he could talk, eat, and laugh with. No offense to Nutmeg, but he couldn't help but feel lonely back on Earth M where he could barely have meaningful conversations, either due to the need to be brief or because of their phones.

"Do you really have to give all your technological stuff to those people?" the young intern asked. "I mean, it seems a little unfair that you're giving them everything that is more advanced than our Earth tech."

"Not everything. Just things they perceive as a threat," the auburn-haired young man rest assured. "Namely the weapons and the Protoract. Everything else is mine to keep."

"It's still feels wrong in some ways," Fenton argued. "Especially about the Protoract."

"It's understandable. Mar-Vell use to tell me that other planets were like that too but on a lesser scale," Aaron shrugged. "It's part of proving I'm non-hostile or that I don't act aggressive at random."

"Alright boys, who's ready for dessert?" Gloria asked as she started taking the empty plates away, laughing as she saw both their hands raise up while they smiled excitedly.

Dessert came in the form of a flan with caramel sauce which both happily ate up. Once that was done, Aaron quickly volunteered and insisted on helping with the dishes despite the objections of both the Cabreras. Despite the chore itself, the conversations carried on with as much friendliness as there was in the dinner conversation itself. He and Fenton even splashed each other a bit playfully while the Cabrera matriarch gave a few leftover scraps of meat to the patiently watching Nutmeg. Now the two young males were in the spare room, going through the items in the boxes.

"Where did you get these clothes from?" Fenton asked as he pulled out a crimson V-neck with the Gemini symbol in metallic blue and lily white.

"Well, Mar-Vell and I bought most of them from the thrift store. I would buy plain stuff and just put my own touch on them," Aaron smiled modestly.

"These look awesome," the young intern said as he eyed a maroon polo shirt with a silver snake making the Omega symbol shape.

"Thanks," Aaron said as he took out a guitar. "Hey, haven't seen this for awhile."

"You played?" the young Latino drake inquired with great interest.

"Yes, though the only person who would ever watch or listen was my godmother and Nutmeg," the young Kree admitted shyly. "I was always too embarrassed to play or sing in front of anyone else, including some of the Skrull refugees."

"You sing too?" the growing inventor questioned, eyes growing even more curious and eager as the humanoid nodded.

"A little. I'm okay at it," the auburn-haired young man shrugged as his face took on a soft shade of blue, not a sign of depleting oxygen but a demonstration of how flustered he was.

Seeing this, Fenton couldn't help but ask, "Your blush is blue. How did you hide that from everyone?"

"The usual: hid my face or ran away until it went away. There was stuff you could take to change the color of your blood or skin but most of it was illegal and Mar-Vell wanted to stay under the Kree radar of suspicion as best as she could," Aaron answered calmly, the blue fading from his face like the blue of sky as night approached.

Their conversation was interrupted by another gagging noise was heard from the corner of the room, causing both to look towards the source of the sound. They saw the female Flerken's mouth opening as a wet coughing emitted from it. Fenton couldn't help but stare as, almost as if vaporizing before solidifying upon exiting the small creature's mouth, a large black case shot out. As Nutmeg proceeded to casually trot away, the young Latino drake slowly turned towards his newfound housemate and friend. Aaron had a cool look on his face as he strolled over and grabbed the box.

"And can I guess what's in there?" Fenton asked with anticipation.

"The weapons that I said I had on me," the young Kree confessed seriously as he opened the case.

It unfolded into three sections to reveal the items that laid inside the heavy duty, advanced interior. There was a wicked looking spear that shined due to the light of the room's ceiling light from above, being composed of some sort of metal that Fenton knew could not possibly be found on Earth. There was a high tech-looking bow that had some blue circuitry shining from beneath the seams, no arrows or string attached though the young intern could probably guess why. And, of course, there was an alien gun that seemed sleek but deadly as well. The last two were some sort of small mechanism, one about the length of a ruler and the other somewhat flat and octagonal shaped.

"And these are?" Fenton asked slowly.

"Vibranium spear, photon bow, photon sniper rifle, photon shield, and a knife with a graphene blade and a vibranium handle," the young Kree explained professionally. "Mar-Vell was big on studying light and matter. She actually made a few of these for my mother. She wanted me to have them for protection. Her job as a scientist gave her free reign over Hala's vibranium supply. The last one I actually picked off of Earth. Like how vibranium is the strongest and most versatile metal in my universe, graphene is one of the sharpest things on Earth M. The knife was actually a given to me by a man I met during my travel to New York. He was heading back to San Fransokyo to see his family and we were both nearly mugged by a trio of thugs. He gave the knife to me as a sort of thank you. It was weird but I was grateful."

"What was his name?" Fenton asked.

"He said his name was Stan Lee Fredrickson," Aaron stated with a nostalgic smile as he concluded.

Immediately after finishing that story, Aaron quickly closed the case before taking it outside to the living room with the young Latino drake following close behind. Setting it down against the couch, he grabbed a nearby pad of sticky note paper and a pen as he scrawled on the note before attaching it to the case. The note read; DO NOT OPEN. HAND OVER TO MR. MCDUCK AND MRS. BEAKLEY.

"Are you okay?" the young intern asked as he noticed the dark look in Aaron's eyes.

"I'm fine. It's just I feel bad," the auburn-haired young man answered in an honest and ashamed tone. "Those are part of the small collection of things I have left of my parents and yet the idea of ever having to actually use them in battle makes me uneasy. All my life, I have heard of all the awful things that my people had done to the innocent. What if that is how the people of this city perceive me?"

"They won't," Fenton promised firmly. "You're different from those people. You're good and you understand right from wrong. You have a conscious and nobody else's view can ever change that."

Aaron gave the slightly older anthro a grateful smile which was returned with a comforting grin.

"Now, let's get you to bed, amigo," Fenton said gently as he led the humanoid back to his room.

* * *

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!"

All the residents of McDuck Manor winced as the high-pitched yell of the blue triplet resonated throughout the manor itself, most likely shattering a few fragile items in the process.

"Volume please," Beakley reprimanded firmly as she poured her employer and friend some bedtime tea.

"There is an alien from a whole other dimension here in Duckburg and he rode with you guys to Fenton's house?!" Huey jumped in, very vocal but not as loud as the middle triplet.

"And we missed it!?" the youngest of the three added, throwing a slight sideways glare of annoyance at his eldest brother, clearly putting all the blame on him for the missed opportunity.

"Yup," Webby announced proudly. "His name's Aaron. It's actually Aer-Rohn. But he said to call him Aaron."

"And he's coming here tomorrow?" Donald inquired uneasily, nowhere near as thrilled as his nephews.

"It's the only way we could get him out of there," Scrooge said as he sat straight up, speaking in a firm manner. "The poor lad is just looking for some stability. And considering that he saved Webby's life and the lives of those people in the museum, he earned that right. All he is doing is checking in and handing over anything that someone else might take from him and use for violent purposes."

"So, he is coming here tomorrow?!" Dewey half asked, half shouted as he shook with excitement.

"Yes, but try not to overwhelm him. Goodness knows this lass did enough of that today," the Scottish drake said sternly but allowed himself to smile as he patted the only female duckling on the head to show he did not mean it in a bad way.

The boys excitedly talked among themselves, talking about how the newcomer could make an awesome addition to their group. Just as they turned to Webby to ask more about Aaron but were quickly intercepted by their uncle and the housekeeper.

"Okay boys, off to bed," the sailor-suited drake said in fatherly firm tone to which his nephews groaned.

"If you don't get to sleep on time, you might miss meeting Aaron tomorrow," Beakley said softly.

That certainly got the triplets quiet as they and the only female duckling quickly flew up the stairs to bed. As soon as they were out of hearing radius, Donald strode over to his uncle, never breaking eye contact with the incredibly older drake.

"So, this kid came from another world?" the rarely understood duck anthro inquired.

The richest duck in Duckburg nodded slowly while the former spy walked to the other side of the room.

"Do…do you think he's seen-," Donald began but was stopped when a solemn hand was raised to silence him.

"I don't know," Scrooge said grimly. "Perhaps, perhaps not. He came from whole different reality. She was lost to our stars, not his."

The younger drake had a look of defeat in his eyes but nodded in understanding.

No more words were exchanged in the manor except for biddings of 'good night.'

* * *

Aaron had found, fortunately, that at an early age that he was indeed an early riser. Getting up and getting ready for the day seemed to be genetic from what Mar-Vell had told him.

"_You're just like your mother," _she had joked. _"Always up before anyone or anything else on the planet. Actually made her own teacher look like bum."_

Even now, despite all he went through, that memory still made him smile and laugh to himself. After dressing himself in a turquoise button-down shirt that had wispy sand-colored designs on the sleeves, collar area, and breast pocket along with pale gray slacks. As he did the day before, he wore his Kree suit under his clothes again.

This wasn't due to a limit of clothing or a lack of shoes and socks, though he knew he could use a few trips to a clothing store. It was just a matter of being prepared for anything as he was taught by his godmother. Thankfully, the suit was composed of a special Kree material that would easily rid itself of dirt, fluids, bacteria, and other unsavory blemishes. Though the technological areas required some tune ups, adjustments, and even upgrades which the young Kree needed to do later.

After filling Nutmeg's water bowl and putting some tuna and bananas together in her food bowl (Flerkens gobble anything), he proceeded to start making breakfast which came in the form of chocolate chip muffins, with a dash of cardamom, breakfast burritos filled with eggs, sausage, and veggies, and fresh coffee. Thankfully, he managed to do so without waking either Cabrera, allowing their own alarms to do so when it hit a quarter to seven.

Both mother and son blinked in surprise as they were presented with the still hot food he had prepared with a warm, "Morning! Breakfast?"

They took their respective plates, Fenton being the first to say, "You made breakfast?"

"I may have been in stasis but I still know how to do a couple of things," Aaron said with a shrug. "Plus, I was up early and since you guys made dinner and dessert last night, it only seemed fair to return the favor."

"You got up early?" Gloria questioned with a surprised look. "No one in this house has gotten up before six thirty since Fenton's college graduation. Did you at least sleep well?"

"For the most part," the auburn-haired young man answered as honestly as he could.

It would be lie for him to say that his dreams weren't plagued with troubled thoughts that made him welcome the morning with opened arms where others would have turned away and cursed the Sun.

Seeing that the humanoid was obviously lying for politeness' sake, the Cabrera matriarch asked, "Is there anything we can do to make you feel better?"

"I usually listen to music to help myself fall asleep," Aaron admitted carefully. "If I get the time, I can find my Discman later today."

Nutmeg let out an uninhibited mewl.

"Discman? I haven't seen one of those since I was seven or eight and I was going through my Abuelo Fernando's old things," the young intern spoke up. "How would you feel about getting a phone?"

"Well, I wouldn't mind but other than the music and news, I might just mainly use it for communication purposes," the young Kree answered. "I'm more into socializing face to face."

"That's fine. But if you ever want to make a social media profile, just tell me, alright?" the young Latino drake stated with a reassuring smile to which the humanoid returned with a nod.

"Do you want me to take the weapons to Mr. McDuck and Mrs. Beakley now or later?" Aaron probed as he finished the last of his coffee.

"Later," the police officer stated gently as she finished her muffin, which she definitely enjoyed. "Santa Maria, these are delicious! I didn't know what to do with the cardamom and milk chocolate chips but I'm glad I bought them now."

"You're welcome," the auburn-haired young man said softly, another sapphire blush decorating his face. "Let me just dry the dishes and then we'll go."

As he made his way to the sink, the older Latina female duck whispered to her son, "He's got a good head on his shoulders just like you Pollito. But he's still making his way. Look out for him, sí?"

"Sí, M'ma," the young intern nodded with a gentle determination.

* * *

Aaron felt like a small child starting kindergarten as he stood before the pale lemon-colored building with an ivory colored roof. And considering that he had never attended school outside the one he left on Kree, that only served to amplify his stress and anxiety.

"C'mon Aaron, suck it up!" he told himself sharply. "Time to stop running and hiding in the shadows."

With that he entered the building, bracing himself for any stares or troubles he might encounter. He was presented with a room with peach and sea foam striped wallpaper, a few chairs filled with anthros of different ages, species, genders, and so on, a healthy-looking potted plant, some posters displaying driving rules, tips, and encouragement, and a hickory wood desk. Behind that said desk was a young female canine anthro sitting in a rolling chair.

She looked to be in her mid to late twenties and had a long mane of curly cinnamon colored hair with a slightly dark apricot skin tone and green gray eyes. She was currently wearing a jade green top with a pearl white choker that had a purple heart hanging on it. The only other thing visible on her was a name tag that read; Ariel Lewis.

"Excuse me," the young Kree spoke up, wincing as he caught the attention of everyone else alongside the cinnamon-haired anthro. "I'm not sure if you were expecting me. My name is Aaron Vellvett. The new driving instructor."

Ariel locked eyes with him in surprise before a sheepish, startled smile appeared on her lips as she spoke, "Oh, yes! We've been expecting you! I'm Ariel, as you can tell by my tag. Hehe."

As she stood up, his eyes landed on her bulging abdomen, realizing that this person, his new co-worker, was pregnant. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable but rather amazed. The only pregnant female that he had ever been fully near in his life was the Skrull general's wife, Soren. He had lived in a neighborhood consisting of elderly folk and couples who already decided they were done adding to their families when he and his godmother arrived. And he only ever saw pregnant human females from afar, always feeling guilty about staring at them. Although he knew that human births were similar to Skrull and Kree, it did not make him any less nervous.

"I'm glad you came along when you did. We're a bit short-staffed here. One instructor just retired. Another is on sick leave. And as for myself," Ariel said gesturing to her bulging abdomen with a good-natured grin. "I'll be leaving in a week. Would have left sooner but my husband and I need the money. Triplets, you know?"

"Of course," the humanoid said sincerely, taking note of the silver wedding band with a emerald on her left hand's ring finger.

"Well, let's get started," the mother-to-be said as she stood up while grabbing a clipboard and directed the young Kree towards a door on the side of the room.

As he followed, he noticed how several of the people sitting down stared at him with great interest, eagerness, and slight apprehension. He also took note, unfortunately, of how a number of them had taken out their phones and directed them at him, obviously snapping pictures. Despite that, however, his nervousness had died down, knowing he had entered a profession with friendly individuals like Ariel. The humanoid was even more pleased to learn that he would be testing drivers in their own vehicles, seeing as how he didn't have one of his own.

* * *

His first student was a male avian anthro of sixteen with bright apple green feathers dressed in a blue-violet long-sleeve with black khakis who was named Ozzie. Upon getting into the car, an SUV which was owned by Ozzie's older brother, Aaron got a good look of how the teen bird was fidgeting, even more so than the auburn-haired young man had been himself. That was the final thing Aaron needed to snap out of his doubts and take charge.

"Alright, first things first," the young Kree began. "Seatbelts and mirrors. It's all about safety."

Ozzie obliged before speaking, "You're that alien dude who saved everyone yesterday at the museum, aren't you?"

"Yes and no," Aaron confirmed casually. "I am, to your people, an alien but it wasn't just me. The police helped apprehend the criminals."

"But you're the one who kicked those Beagle Boys' butts! It's all over social media! Can I show you what I mean?" the young avian anthro asked ecstatically as he reached for his phone.

"No phones during the test," Aaron said firmly. "But if you do your best during the test, you can show me."

Obediently nodding, Ozzie followed the rest of the instructions as he moved through the course as quickly but carefully as he could. With the exception of a short stop and a nudging one traffic cone, the younger of the two males performed quite impressively.

Writing down the a quick set of notes and checking the last of the boxes, the humanoid said with a cool smile, "Well Ozzie, I can't say anything but I would feel inclined to start feeling good about yourself if I were you."

"Woo-oo!" Ozzie shouted pumping his fists before taking out his phone. "As we agreed on!"

Aaron leaned over and was surprised to see that someone, most likely one of the hostages, had recorded him giving the Beagle Boys a beat down. Unfortunately, he found himself strongly displeased by how the video ended with him trapping Burger with the harpoon. No wonder people didn't know it was Gloria and Webby who helped apprehend Ma Beagle and ensure their arrest.

Before he could correct the situation, Ozzie cut him off by scrolling down while grinning, "Look at how many comments it got!"

Once again, Aaron was surprised by the amount of people who were reacting positively to the presence of a foreign being like himself. The comments ranged from insulting the crime family to 'oohing' and 'awing' over the auburn-haired young man himself. He felt heat creep along his neck and cheeks and found himself averting his eyes as some of the comments got more risqué and intimate in regards to his appearance.

"Well, I suppose that is impressive and flattering but I really should get to the next student," the young Kree said, trying to hurry out of the car.

"Wait! Can I get a pic with you? Please!" the young avian pleaded.

Knowing that the situation would not end unless he complied, Aaron sighed and smiled exasperatedly, "Alright. I'm sure one photo couldn't hurt."

Positioning themselves, Aaron giving a genuine smile while Ozzie gave a thumbs up, the photo was then taken. As they bid each other goodbye, the young Kree went to attend to his next student.

* * *

As it would turn out, one photo could do a lot, even if it wasn't as negative as Aaron expected it to be.

Each student he came across seemed to be eager to talk with him and just generally be close to him, like he was some famous celebrity. While they were all friendly, the humanoid couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed by all the admiration he was receiving. It didn't help that every time they brought up what happened the day before, they seemed to ignore the police officer and Vanderquack girl's role in taking down the real leader of the gang. But, of course, when they asked if they could take a picture with him, he gave in to appease them.

By the time his break rolled around, Aaron felt dazed and exhausted more than he felt throughout his time on Earth M. As he left the building to partake in his break and get some fresh air, he stopped in his tracks when he saw who was outside. A familiar female duckling with a pink bow was patiently standing outside the building with a purple backpack and the same optimistic smile from the day before.

Rather than being annoyed, he found himself relaxed by the presence of the sweet-tempered young anthro he had only met the day before.

The moment they locked eyes, she was right in front of him in an instant, happily chirping, "Hi! Remember me?"

"How could I forget you?" the young Kree chuckled. "Webbigail Vanderquack; favorite color is pink, favorite beverage is juice, favorite idols are your grandmother and Mr. McDuck, favorite booby trap is spike pits, and your favorite storm is tropical cyclone meets thunder snow."

"Thank you, Aaron Vellvett; favorite colors are shades of blue, green, with the exception of some purple shades, favorite beverage is coffee with cinnamon and honey, favorite idol was your deceased godmother Wendy Lawson/Mar-Vell, favorite animals are Flerkens, cats, and birds, and favorite weather is sunny and windy," Webby laughed back. "See, I listen! Call me Webby!"

"Alright then, Webby," the humanoid said, before blinking in realization. "Wait, did you get here all by yourself?"

"Yeah!" Webby shrugged casually before frowning a bit with concern. "Is there a problem?"

Aaron stopped for a minute before shaking his head apologetically, "No, it isn't. I'm sorry, it's my fault. I grew up during an period on Earth where kids going off by themselves was a social taboo."

The young female duckling's smile instantly returned as she said, "No problem! Hey, want to hang out?"

"Why not? I'm on my break after all," the auburn-haired young man said with relaxed shrug.

"Great! Follow me!" the former spy's granddaughter said, reaching up and grabbing the somewhat larger, five-fingered hand before guiding him towards her intended location for them.

The location in question turned out to be the new Sugar Blush, notable due to the marble paint job of soft rose gold and cotton candy blue. The sign itself was oval-shaped and colored a canary yellow with the shop's name in luscious ginger-colored cursive writing. Upon stepping into the shop, the humanoid was blasted with the sweetest of smells, a cross between a bakery with stronger hints of dairy and sugar. The floor was a soft milky white with spots of color to look like confetti or sprinkles. The retro chairs and tables were the same colors as the sign as well, many of them having been taken up by assorted civilians.

As for the rest of the shop, the wall paper had a pale mint green background with the repeated word of "sweet" as the motif. The counters were marble and the people behind it were dressed in uniforms that were the color of the building itself. And, like the it was said in the name, there was no shortage of sweets in the place. There were canisters filled with what appeared to be freshly handmade candies that appeared to have also been wrapped in colorful wrappers with no labels on them. The glass cases were filled with simple sweets like cupcakes, rice krispies, and cookies to more modern day, popular sweets like cronuts, cake in a jar, and cake pops. There were also fixings to make ice cream sundaes, sandwiches, and milkshakes.

As they approached the counter, a female duck anthro with yellow feathers, blonde hair, and hazel eyes with the shop uniform over a magenta blouse, her name tag reading; Tally Wingley. Upon looking up at her new customers, she stopped and froze. Immediately, Aaron feared that she was one of the few inhabitants who hadn't seen the news and would scream.

"H-Hello-," he began slowly, ready for the inevitable but didn't get to finish his sentence when, to his shock, she thrust her arms across the counter and hugged him.

Even Webby herself was startled, holding on to Aaron's leg as if worried that the worker would suddenly become violent.

Fortunately, it didn't come to that as she whispered loud enough for the two customers to hear, "You saved my dad's life at the museum yesterday. Thank you. Thank you so much."

Carefully, he patted her back as he felt her hot ears on his neck while saying sincerely, "I was just doing what anybody else would have done."

Suddenly another duck anthro appeared who was an older male with white feathers, gray sideburns and mustache, and glasses with gray polo shirt and a name tag read: Stanley Howards.

"Alright Tally, calm down. Let's go into the backroom to calm down," he said in fatherly voice as he gently pulled the younger anthro off of the young Kree and led her away.

Aaron continued to stare until he heard a _click_ from behind him, resulting in him twisting around. Several people, wearing soft smiles, had their phones up on him, obviously having recorded the situation.

Before he had a chance to say anything, the older drake returned, smiling, "Sorry about that. She didn't mean no harm. Tell you what; I'll give you and your little friend here your orders for free. How does that sound?"

The young Kree could only give an awkward, polite smile before he allowed Webby to order for them before they went to sit down.

"Everybody's really excited to have you here," the former spy's granddaughter laughed, trying to ease the tension that she could obviously sense on the auburn-haired young man.

"Yeah, I can definitely see that," Aaron managed to laugh, the awkwardness chipping away like a piece of oak under a woodpecker's beak. "But seriously, it wasn't just me. You and Officer Cabrera were a big help. Don't know why everyone's just focusing on me."

"Aww, thanks!" the bubblegum-clothed duckling said modestly. "It's just we never had someone like you around before."

The humanoid nodded in understanding, "I can believe that."

Soon enough, the two were given their orders, Webby's being a ice cream cookie sandwich consisting of a scoop of banana ice cream between two crunchy peanut butter cookies rolled in chocolate chips. Aaron's order, meanwhile, consisted of a chocolate cake in jar with salted caramel buttercream frosting and chocolate shavings.

"Thank you, Mr. Howards," the humanoid nodded gratefully.

"You're welcome but call me Stan, everybody does. You kids enjoy," Stan said with a smile as he went back behind the counter.

Turning to his dessert, Aaron picked up the spoon and dug in, scooping up a nicely sized pile of cake and frosting before popping it into his mouth. Instantly, the combination of chocolate and caramel, with some notes of coffee and vanilla, sent a wave of pleasure over his tongue. It took all he had to not let any inappropriate sounds of ecstasy burst out of his throat. Honestly, he didn't know why he was so worried that eating out of the jar would make it mediocre.

"This is some stellar cake," he said with grin. "I can't believe I'm actually eating cake from a jar."

"Welcome to 21st Century Earth," the bubblegum-clothed duckling giggled, half way done with her ice cream sandwich.

As they ate, they continued to talk, sharing each other's experiences and thoughts which allowed Aaron to learn that he wasn't the first bizarre person to encounter. Now, normally he wouldn't have believed tales like the ones she told but considering where he was and how everyone was reacting, he knew there were some truths to her tales. The humanoid also took note of how she did not mention a mother or father figure in any of her retellings, not even when she accidentally let it slipped about her and Beakley's little training trips on a deserted island. He noted to himself that parents were a topic to not say around her.

Webby herself was also quite surprised to learn that Aaron knew little to nothing about his own parents or his race other than the countless number of planets conquered and oppressed by Kree rule. She noted how that alone seemed to make it even harder to bring up any cultural aspects about the Kree as a species. She couldn't imagine having to live with that, knowing what your people did to others and how it affected your view of yourself in a negative manner. That uncomfortable topic was pushed aside when she inquired him about his suit.

"So, that's a Starforce suit?" Webby inquired as she gestured to his hand where a part of the suit was visible.

Nodding honestly, Aaron continued, "If it wasn't for my mom, I probably wouldn't wear it. And since it acts as a space suit, water suit, and hazmat suit, I'm not gonna forfeit it anytime soon."

"Sounds your godmother prepared you for anything," the female duckling chuckled.

"Yeah, she did," the auburn-haired young man smiled before saying. "There's just one thing I want to do about this suit."

Webby immediately became focused as she curiously asked, "What?"

"I'm not too fond of these colors," he admitted casually with a smile. "So I was thinking, with this new world and all, maybe I should change them."

"How would you go about doing that?" the former spy's granddaughter asked, voice filled with earnest intensity.

Smiling wider, he rolled up the sleeve of his shirt and unveiled a grid like component that had unveiled itself, saying, "Would you do the honor?"

Squealing with pure joy, Webby instantly leaned over, swiping her finger diagonally, instantly making the suit change colors. Aaron unbuttoned the top buttons of his shirt to get a better look at the change. They were greeted with the colors of charcoal, gold, and electric violet.

They looked at each other and, in unison, said, "Nah!"

She proceeded to make an 'N' shape on the panel which resulted in porcelain white, apple red, and dark amber, looking at them a moment before saying, "Well, they go with your hair but I don't think it's gonna work out."

"Ditto," the humanoid said in complete agreement.

Once more, she played with it, making a lightning bolt shape that led to his suit turning a bright shade of Kelly green, electric orange, and fuchsia that made her wince, "Oops."

The young Kree gave her a patient smile as he said encouragingly, "Give it one more try."

Smiling bravely, Webby did so, making a counter-clockwise motion on the pad. The result was a mixture of deep royal blue, cool periwinkle, and metallic silver, the last color being apparent on the star on his chest. Looking up, both found that they were smiling with satisfaction.

"It fits," he nodded with a pleased tone.

They were interrupted by the sound of phone snapping a picture. They both looked and were greeted with three young male ducklings, dressed in red, blue, and green, staring at them in awe. Or rather at the humanoid.

"Whoa, that is so cool!" Dewey shouted as he quickly jumped onto the table, thrusting his grinning face into Aaron's.

"You really are from another universe, aren't you" Huey exclaimed with excitement. "I'm gonna be the Junior Woodchuck to create the "Get Acquainted with An Extraterrestrial" badge!"

"I'm gonna get so many likes for this!" Louie said, having been the one to take the picture and was currently posting it. "This is gonna be sweet!"

"Do you have a space ship? Can we ride in it?" Dewey asked, almost hopefully.

"How long does your kind live for? Are you really a male or do you just look like one?" Huey inquired seriously with a keen grin.

"How much do suits like yours cost? Do you got a spare?" Louie probed impatiently with a wide smile.

"Hey, easy!" Webby said as she jumped over the table to land beside Aaron in a protective manner that reminded the young Kree of how protective his neighbor's teen daughter was when the younger kids tried to sneak a pick at her cat's new kittens.

Before Aaron had a chance to speak, they all heard a crash from outside, followed by screams of terror.

"What the heck was that?" Stan asked, leaning over the counter to get a better look out the window, only to be greeted with the sight of several people running away from whatever was going on.

"Trouble," Aaron said urgently.

Getting out of his seat, he sprinted to the door, shirt already off by the time he exited.

Not too long after, Webby and the triplets, followed by some of the customers, quickly ran out the door after him.

Stan stood there a second before shrugging, "Well, looks like we're closing up early."

* * *

Here's Chapter 3! Yup, I made a duck answer to Stan Lee and yes, he is named after our dearly departed Marvel creator and Howard the Duck. And before anyone asks, there bonds between Aaron and Fenton and Aaron and Webby are completely platonic. Sibling bonds to be specific. Chapter 4 is on its way. Thank you to those reading and following. Comment if you like!


	4. Chapter 4: Challenges Big and Small

Chapter 4: Challenges Big and Small

After leaving his clothes in a secure section where he could come back for them later, he ran in the direction that people were trying to get away from. Upon reaching his destination, he saw that the cause of the commotion stood in the streets. What surprised Aaron was the instigator themselves.

A skinny canine anthro, who appeared to be the same exact species as the Beagle Boys, stood menacingly in front of the small crowd of civilians who were to paralyzed with apprehension to run. The canine was obviously male with short black hair and a stormy gray skin tone, dressed in black, including black fingerless gloves studded with small spikes, combat boots, and a light eggplant purple cape holding on by a skull clasp. The individual even has a black mask like the Beagle Boys and his only other accessory was a small hoop earring on his left ear.

"People of Duckburg, your day of reckoning is here," the black-clothed canine anthro said in a dark and dramatic voice. "For I, Black Arts Beagle, will bring down my full wrath on the Duckburg Police Department, forcing them to release my mother and brothers!"

"Oh great, another Beagle Boy. Now in Punk Rock or whatever," Aaron mumbled sarcastically to himself. "What is he even suppose to be? A pseudo-vampire?"

"That's Black Arts Beagle," Webby explained as she caught up to him and stood beside him, soon joined by the boys. "He and Ma Beagle crashed one of Uncle Scrooge's birthday party awhile back. Like his name says, he's studied black magic and he's a necromancer, though not a very good one. He's the one that summoned Duckworth back from the dead."

"So, he's a poser?" the humanoid inquired which caused the four young anthros to giggle.

"Basically!" Louie guffawed.

"Alright, stay here," the young Kree stated firmly as he began striding over there.

No sooner was Aaron a few feet in front of him did the dark Beagle Boy notice and asked in a threatening and haughty voice, "And who are you?"

"The guy who's gonna help you reunite with your family," Aaron said coldly. "In jail."

Black Arts' eyes widened after a moment before narrowing in hatred, "It's you! You're the one who threw them in jail! This day just keeps getting better! I'll defeat you, free my family, and prove that I, Black Arts Bea-"

He never got the chance to finish his sentence as the auburn-haired young man delivered kick that sent the black magic-user flying into the gravel.

"Hey, you ruined my gloating speech of vengeance!" Black Arts managed to gasp as he shakily got to his legs.

"Then maybe you should learn to fight and talk at the same time," Aaron said acidly before launching himself at his opponent.

Despite the pain from the young Kree's kick, the dark Beagle Boy managed to roll away in time as Aaron's fist connected with the gravel. Just as he began turning to Black Arts again, the criminal in question pulled out a pitch black orb and threw it onto the ground, creating a mist of ash gray smoke that expanded ominously quickly. Remembering his training, Aaron stood still and closed his eyes, waiting and listening. It paid off when he felt a presence behind him. Striking out with a punch, he heard the black magic-user grunt in surprise and pain.

"H-How did you know?" the gray canine grunted.

"You're nothing but smoke and mirrors," Aaron spat.

Opening his eyes, he saw that he was right as Black Arts was once again on the ground, this time rubbing his mouth while staring up at the humanoid with annoyance and anger, like a stubborn schoolyard bully. Both suddenly turned when they heard the sound of police sirens, seeing three police cruisers with two police officers coming out of each cruiser. One of them was Gloria, her eyes filled with concern and fear for the humanoid along with anger towards the Beagle Boy.

Black Arts suddenly bolted up and darted past the auburn-haired young man while reaching into his cape. He pulled out a deck of cards and threw them at the law enforcers with pure viciousness. The cops, not being strangers to the danger of underestimating a criminal, took cover behind their cruisers. There choice proved right when the cards stuck onto the front of the cruisers and the asphalt of the street like shurikens. One managed to slice a tear into the older female Latina duck's pants, fortunately not drawing blood.

"Foolish non-believers," Black Arts bellowed triumphantly. "Did you really think you could stand against me?!"

Aaron was about to charge at the dark Beagle Boy, a white-hot rage he had not felt in a long time bubbling in his chest, when a flash of glimmering white, black, and red landed in front of him. He gapped at the large robotic torso and chassis and arms and lilac visored helmet with a beak sticking out sitting on a single strong-looking wheel. He caught the flash of a dark red symbol that resembled a 'G' and shooting star.

"It's Gizmoduck!" Huey proclaimed with fan-boyish glee.

"Gizmoduck?" Aaron echoed in confusion.

"This one's mine," Gizmoduck hissed in dangerous voice that was terribly familiar.

With that, the suited duck anthro charged at the black-magic user, grabbing him by the scruff of his cape and turning him to face his visor-covered face. Even with the helmet and visor themselves, both Black Arts and Aaron could tell how infuriated the mechanical-suited drake was with the criminal.

"You've crossed a dangerous line, Beagle Boy," Gizmoduck growled. "One that's gonna cross you dearly."

Pushing away a gulp of fear, Black Arts forced himself to unclasp his cape, freeing him from the mechanical-suited drake's grasp. He then used the opportunity to dash around the surprised Gizmoduck and grab onto his back, covering his visor from behind.

"Hey! Get off of me you Howldini wanna-be!" Gizmoduck snarled. "Activate Helmet-Copter!"

A small propeller extended from the helmet and began turning at full speed, lifting both anthros into the air. However, it would appear to be in futile as Black Arts hung on tight to the mechanical-suited drake. Try as he might, Gizmoduck could not dislodge the dark Beagle Boy. No twist and turn, loopy loos, or any other maneuver could get the determined criminal off of him.

Realizing the other would not be able to apprehend the criminal alone, the humanoid began fiddling with a small part of his suit located on his right forearm, muttering, "Please work, please work."

He continued fiddling with it until his suit extended to cover the area over his eyes, thankfully it had eyeholes, and a portion of the back of his head and neck but leaving his scalp untouched so his hair was not covered. But what really caught everyone's attention was the metal extending from either side of his back, shifting and shaping until they resembled jet wings but more sleek and angled. With one more tweak, Aaron was up in the air, just a few feet from the two dueling anthros. A quick thrust allowed him to get close enough to grab Black Arts by the shoulders and yank him off.

"Hey, let me go you-!" the black magic-user was about to snap when he realized just how far off the ground all three of them were. "Eeeep! Too high, too high!"

Seeing the opportunity, the young Kree said in aggressive voice, "It's over Black Arts. Do you wanna go quietly with the police to a nice, safe jail cell on the ground or do you want to keep tangoing with us in the air?"

"Okay, okay, I surrender! Just put me down, safely!" the dark Beagle Boy whimpered, all bravado and malice gone and replaced with fear and defeat.

All three landed and were greeted by the Cabrera matriarch and the five other officers who were more than happy to slap cuffs on the criminal and escort him to one of the cruisers that did not have its tires flattened by Black Arts' little card trick. No sooner did the cruiser door close on the subdued anthro did a bunch of civilians began gathering around the two do-gooders, each person cheering and giving their thanks. It was then that Aaron noticed a van that had the words _NEWS _on the side.

Immediately, a female duck anthro with pale blonde hair, basil green feathers, and a iris suit with a microphone in hand come up to stand beside the two males and began speaking, "Hello Duckburg, Roxanne Featherly here. I am currently standing beside two brave souls who have just apprehended a rogue Beagle Boy threatening our fair city. We all know Gizmoduck but we also seem to have a new face of heroism to stand beside him. This new arrival, who had just recently stopped a hostage situation the day before aided our beloved Gizmoduck in stopping yet another threat. Who is this alien being? We're about to find out!"

In one snap, the reported turned to the humanoid and asked, "What is your name?"

"Uh," the auburn-haired young man stuttered in confusion and panic as the mic was thrusted into his face.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the crowd, the four ducklings tried to find their way through the crowd to get to the two in the center. While the boys continued shoving, the bubblegum-clothed duckling managed to use her skills to climb and jump over the crowd. A few flips later, she landed in the small space behind Aaron before hopping to grab onto his shoulder. Carefully, the humanoid helped the former spy's daughter to sit comfortably on his shoulder.

"Your name, please," Roxanne repeated, her voice evident that she was desperate and losing patience.

"My name?" the auburn-haired young man repeated. "It's well…"

Even though he knew his suit's mask did not distinguish his face too much from his appearance without it, he did not want to give out his name for the whole town to hear. While he was certain that he could walk on the streets without the suit and still be recognized by people, he felt a bit on edge about saying his name out loud for everyone to hear and familiarize.

Webby's brow furrowed as she too tried to think of a solution, eyeing the star on his chest while wracking her brain. She then noticed that one of the people near them, a female pig anthro with a violet shirted with a magician's hat, wand, and stars on it. Another minute passed before it clicked in her head.

"Starcaster!" she exclaimed.

"I beg your pardon?" the basil female duck anthro said with puzzlement but interest.

Taking a deep breath, the female duckling repeated, "His name is Starcaster."

Turning to face the humanoid, Roxanne spoke insistently, "Really? Is that your name?"

"Yes," Aaron said without hesitation. "Yes, it is. I am Starcaster."

"And are you Gizmoduck's new partner in crime-fighting?" the adult female duck inquired.

Aaron gave the mechanical-suited drake a sideways glance and, after seeing him nod and smile, replied, "Yes, I am."

Turning back to her camera man, the reporter said, "You heard it here folks. Meet our newest addition to Duckburg's defense against crime. Starcaster!"

Soon the crowd began chanting Aaron's-Starcaster's name-in encouragement. The boys had finally made it through and were now pumping their fists in the air while chanting as well. Even Gizmoduck himself appeared to be joining in, giving the young Kree a thumbs up. The only one who wasn't was Webby who had settled with just sitting on his shoulder and smiling sweetly at him which made him smile in return. As he looked towards where the police were all getting back into their cars, he saw that Gloria had yet to leave.

"Starcaster! Starcaster! Starcaster!"

She was shooting both him and Gizmoduck a look that was a combination of what appeared to be motherly pride and concern.

And that's when Aaron's suspicions were confirmed.

* * *

Upon returning to work, Aaron prepared for the lecture he was gonna get only to be greeted with smiles from not only Ariel but all the other employees and driving students. As it turned out, the humanoid would not be penalized for being late and was told that he would, in fact, not get punished for any lateness.

"We know you got some obligations outside of work," Ariel while she gestured to the waiting room TV which was on the news channel with a wink. "Better these guys wait than get hurt or lose loved ones."

The young Kree had been flabbergasted but thankful as he continued to do his work, once again met with young adult and adolescent anthros, and a few older anthros, who were ardent to be in his presence. Once his shift ended around five, he quickly headed home which was not hard as he memorized the route. While it took a bit longer by foot, he was happy to see the Cabrera residence in what had taken him almost over ten minutes longer. He would have gotten home in lesser time but he was trying to conserve his energy.

Wait, did he just call the Cabrera house _home_?

Rolling that over in his head, he grabbed the spare key that was hidden under the small aloe vera plant and using it to open the door. Stepping in, he was unsurprised to find it empty except for Nutmeg who was curled up on the couch armrest. She immediately jumped off and trotted over to him with a pleasant mewl and was rewarded with a scratch behind the ears. It was then that he noticed the case still laying in the living room.

"Well Nutmeg, let's get it over with," Aaron said as he picked up the feline before closing the door behind him.

A few minutes later, dressed in a fresh amethyst colored T-shirt with an aquamarine wolf on it, khakis, and gray sneakers, his suit and case in hand, and Nutmeg on his shoulder, he exited the house while making sure to lock the door and hide the key. He was startled when he heard a close and loud car honk, causing him to twist around to see Scrooge's limo out front. One of the vehicle's windows was rolled down to reveal the richest duck in Duckburg giving him a civil smile and urging him to get in.

Obliging, the young Kree strode over, opened the door and entered the vehicle, settling his things beside him. It was then that he realized how many others were in the limo besides the Scottish drake; there were the kids, Launchpad (of course), Mrs. Beakley, and new face he hadn't met before. He appeared to be older than Launchpad but younger than Beakley, wearing what could only be a sailor's suit, hat, and an aggressively suspicious expression. No sooner did the door close did the drive begin.

"Good evening Aaron," the eldest duck said in a gentle, polite tone as he gestured to the grinning male ducklings. "I believe you've met my grandnephews; Huey, Dewey, and Louie."

The young anthros in question waved excitedly at him which seemed to make the new anthro's frown deepen.

"And this is my nephew, the boys' legal guardian, Donald Duck," the elderly adventurer gestured to the scowling younger drake. "Donald, this is Aaron. We've told you about him."

"It's a pleasure, Mr. Duck," the auburn-haired young man said with kind smile as he outstretched his own hand in greeting.

After a few tense seconds, Donald shook his hand and said, "It's nice to meet you, Aaron."

Aaron continued to smile, ignoring how the sailor-suited drake's voice sounded nearly incomprehensible. He realized that Nutmeg had now left his shoulder and was currently in Webby's lap where the bubblegum-clothed duckling was gently stroking her whilst the other three were watching with cautious wonder.

"Is that your alien cat that secretly has tentacles?" Dewey asked zealously, pointing at the small creature.

"Yup, that's my Flerken, Nutmeg," the young Kree nodded, smiling softly.

"Can we pet him?" Huey inquired enthusiastically but politely.

"Her. And yes you may," the humanoid confirmed.

All three boys immediately began gently petting the cat-like extra-terrestrial, causing the low purrs that were a result of Webby's touches to be amplified.

"She loves being petted," Aaron chuckled. "My godmother's Flerken, on the other hand, only liked being touched in short increments. Thankfully, I didn't have to learn that the hard way but the resident pet harasser did. Flerken scratches are not something to joke about."

The auburn-haired young man instantly regretted saying that when the uncle of three let out an alarmed squawk and reached over, whisking his boys away from the feline while ignoring their complaints of disappointment.

Trying to change the subject, Aaron spoke, "Anyway, she coughed up the weapons. As promised, I am giving them to you so you may hand them over to Flurry."

Beakley reached over and took the case, nodding with a knowing smile, "Thank you."

The kids stared at the case like it held their most desired wish while the sailor-suited drake stared at it like it was a rattlesnake that breathed fire.

"And I'm also guessing you might want this," the young Kree said as he hesitantly offered his suit to the richest duck in Duckburg.

Scrooge blinked in surprise at what was being offered, "What is this? Your suit? But why?"

"Well, I thought you guys would want it since it's advanced and that it would hurt someone," the humanoid shrugged guiltily.

There was paused before Aaron was surprised by the Scottish drake bursting into a fit of laughter. Everyone but Beakley seemed just surprised, including Launchpad who nearly hit a building in surprise at the unexpected burst of laughter from his employer. After a minute or so, Scrooge's laughter began to die down, leaving him gasping for breath while wiping a few tears away.

"You honestly think we were gonna take your suit after you just saved innocent people again so soon?" the eldest duck asked rhetorically before continuing. "No lad, that suit is all yours to keep doing what you're doing. And that's rounding up no-good nitwits like the Beagle Boys or anyone else who makes trouble in Duckburg."

"Really? Thank you," the young Kree said sincerely before tentatively asking. "But what about Gizmoduck?"

"Well, if the media is right about anything, it's this; Gizmoduck cannot do it alone," the richest duck in Duckburg reassured. "He needs a partner and that's you."

"Gizmoduck and Starcaster! Ultimate hero duo!" Webby crowed excitedly with the boys joining in despite still being trapped in their uncle's arms.

"We're here Mr. McD," Launchpad suddenly announced with a bright smile.

Aaron blinked as he realized that the ride had been a smooth one even though something told him it wasn't for anyone bystanders who had seen the buff drake driving. Perhaps talking was the key to getting through the sweet but unconsciously reckless driver/pilot's driving.

Stepping out, he discovered that they stood right before a large, hulking building with a golden dollar sign on it. It was then he realized that they were on a sizable chunk of land surrounded by the sea. Getting out, he began following the rest of the anthros who were heading towards the entrance, taking his suit with him as Nutmeg padded right along beside him.

"What is this place?" Aaron asked with astonishment.

"This is just Uncle Scrooge's money bin," the green-clothed triplet said nonchalantly. "It's where he keeps all his gold and stuff."

"He comes here to do meeting stuff too," the blue-clothed triplet added.

"And it's where his scientists work on the next big things for McDuck Enterprises," the red-clothed triplet put in. "Fenton's in there right now with Dr. Gearloose right now."

At the mention of his house mate and friend the humanoid smiled and quickened his steps to keep up. One long elevator ride later, the doors opened to unveil some sort of underground, or rather undersea, lab section of the bin. The windows displayed nothing but sea water, the undersea beds of sand, coral, and seaweed, and marine life. The lab itself consisted of different tools, desks, and mechanisms, all things needed to brainstorm and invent. But what really caught Aaron's attention was who was stationed at one of the desks.

A creature that had a horse's body and stone replica of Scrooge's head was wearing a lab coat while tinkering with something at one of the desks. A small little light bulb with wiry arms and legs also appeared to be watching his larger companion at work. Immediately, however, they stopped what they were doing when they registered the presence of the visitors.

"Hey Manny!" the youngest triplet greeted. "Hey Lil Bulb."

The stone-headed horse creature only waved back in response.

"Where's Fenton and Gyro?" Scrooge inquired.

As if by magic, the young intern entered the room and smiled upon seeing the group, "Hey guys!"

"Hey Fenton!" the auburn-haired young man greeted first.

Instantly, the young Latino drake was in front of his house guest and friend, asking in a concerned voice, "Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Surprised, Aaron shook his head "no" and asked, "I'm fine. Why?"

Fenton seemed reluctant before saying carefully, "I heard about your fight with that Beagle Boy today. Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, he barely laid a finger on me?" the humanoid soothed. "Besides, Gizmoduck was there. I wasn't alone."

A look of flattery and relief flood the young intern's face, "Oh, good! I know Gizmoduck was there but-"

"INTERN!"

Everyone jumped as an irate looking male chicken anthro entered the lab, an angry scowl on his beak and hands on his hips. Bowing his head and hunching his shoulders in dread, Fenton approached his annoyed lead scientist. No one seemed to acknowledged the appalled look on the young Kree's face.

"Yes, Dr. Gearloose?" the young intern probed quietly.

"Did you amplify the gold magnets so they can attract silver?" Gyro demanded in irritation.

"Er, yes I did. Why?" Fenton asked, growing more nervous by the second.

"Oh, no reason except they caused one of my coin sorting robots to burst open like a pinata stuffed with dynamite!" the rooster anthro screamed. "It looks like some porcupines on caffeine punched their way out of it!"

"Hey, calm down!" the humanoid interrupted with annoyance, a glare starting to form on his face. "There's no need to yell like that."

At that moment, time seemed to freeze as everyone's heads inched slowly to turn and stare at the auburn-haired young man. The kids pressed themselves against their guardians' legs while Manny and Lil Bulb slowly lowered themselves to hide under the desk they were at.

Gyro was the first to speak, aghast voice filled with offense, "I'm sorry, what?"

"You have no business screaming. It's not gonna do any good," Aaron said in a lowered tone as he began making his way towards the two.

"And who are you?" the lead scientist inquired trying to sound bold and challenging despite hi, still being astonished that someone talked back to him.

"Gyro, this is Aaron Vellvett," Scrooge managed to get out, regaining his composure.

"He's staying with me and my mother at our house," the young Latino drake put in cautiously.

"Is that right? And what business do you have telling me how to run this lab, Mr. Vellvett?" Gyro inquired snidely.

"Funny thing, my godmother was in charge of an organization that was using an advanced power source to use for alternate energy which she then used to create light speed engines," the young Kree replied coolly as he came to stop just a few feet away from the lead scientist. "And no matter how stressed she got, she never lashed out at anyone."

"Well, this isn't the Earth you grew up on," the male chicken said snippily.

"I highly doubt that the rules of courtesy towards one's fellows are any different here," Aaron snarked back, taking several steps closer towards him.

"W-Well, that's not for you to dictate, is it?" Gyro tried to snap back, feeling panic arise as he was approached by the much taller, albeit very much younger, being. "What I do in my lab is my business."

"Then maybe it's time someone gave you some proper advice," the young Kree said coldly as he loomed over the other.

The rooster anthro couldn't help but gulp as he was stared down, forcing out a nervous chuckle without smiling while saying, "Easy there. Y-You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, right?"

Aaron seemed to metaphorically take a step back, thinking, before he suddenly snatched the glasses of Gyro's face, eliciting gasps from everyone. Fenton looked like he would faint with terror. He then proceeded to fold them neatly before lightly bopping the male chicken anthro on the head with them before tossing them back to Gyro who fumbled to get a grip on them.

After putting them on, Gyro said with a shaky smile, "You hit me with my glasses. T-That's well-played."

Sighs of relief were heard from all around until they were cut off by the sound of a gagging. All eyes fell on the female Flerken who was heaving heavily while coughing at the same time.

"Ew, hairball!" the middle triplet groaned in disgust.

However, as a few of those present suspected, it was not hairball that erupted from Nutmeg's mouth but something else. Actually, _two _something else. A familiar looking cube and thin metal and square, at least to Aaron, flew out of the quadruped extraterrestrial's mouth. Leaping from his location, the young Kree landed before his pet, scooping up the two objects as she leapt onto his shoulders.

"Is that what I think it is?" Fenton gasped.

"What is it?" Gyro probed, all fear gone now replaced with scientific curiosity.

An idea struck the humanoid as he casually explained, "Oh, you mean this cube? It's just the Protoract which is the advanced alien mechanism that brought me here to your universe. It's got the same energy as the mechanism my godmother was studying."

At the mention of "advance" Gyro gulped and looked at the cube the same way a coyote would eye a unprotected piece of steak, gasping out, "And the other object?"

"Oh, this," the young Kree said as he waggled the square, pressing something on it that allowed it to emit a cyan-colored hologram featuring different algorithms, notes, and blue prints. "They're just my godmother's blueprints that she left behind plus the blue prints of Kree tech and the notes scientific advancements and inventions from Earth M."

"Whoa," the kids, Launchpad, and Fenton breathed in fascination.

Gyro didn't say anything but the wide, begging eyes and gaping beak said everything.

"It's a shame that I have to give both to Mr. McDuck and Mrs. Beakley," Aaron said in mock said tone as he slowly began handing both to the eldest duck who was holding out his hands with a sly, knowing smile of his own.

That snapped the rooster anthro out of it as he threw himself between his employer and the newcomer while screaming a desperate and panicked, "WAIT!"

_Hook, line, and sinker _the humanoid thought proudly.

"Aaron, right? You don't have to hand over everything, right Mr. McDuck?" the lead scientist looked at the Scottish drake pleadingly.

"Well, Beakley and I promised Flurry, our acquaintance, anything that can be used as weaponry against Duckburg," the richest duck in Duckburg stated before a cunning smile appeared. "_But _those blueprints, in the right hands, are not _technically _weapons so I'm sure that we can convince Flurry to look the other way."

"I'm positive we can," Beakley put in a controlled but determined tone. "If that's alright with you, Aaron."

"It's definitely alright with me _if _Gyro here promises to keep his cool and stop raising his voice at everyone, especially Fenton who will be allowed to also analyze the notes and blueprints as well," the auburn-haired young man confirmed. "It's not good for you or for anyone. My people led through fear and intimidation and it got them was war and hatred in return. I can be your friend but only if you can treat others as equals. So, deal?"

Gyro stared at Aaron's out-stretched hand for a moment before grinning and shaking it, "Deal!"

The moment that the humanoid handed the blue prints over, the male chicken hugged them close to his chest like a child would hug their favorite stuffed animal.

Having come out from beneath the desk, Manny tapped to Lil Bulb, _"He's good." _

Aaron turned to see Fenton giving him a grateful, astonished, and adoring smile, as he said, "Dinner's on me!"

* * *

"I still can't believe you pulled a psychological twist on Dr. Gearloose like that!" the blooming scientists laughed stood in line with the young Kree.

After leaving the male chicken to fond and get acquainted with the blue prints with Manny and Lil Bulb staying to make sure he got some sleep, Fenton, Aaron, and company to the Ram's Corner mercantile. It was a small combined restaurant and store with murals on the interior walls that depicted an ocean that shifted to a desert with a sunset on the horizon before finally changing into a starry sky filled with constellations. While half of the store looked like a café or restaurant, the other half was filled with the sort of food items and toiletries one would find at a grocery store, including a bakery, deli, and even a aisle with eco-friendly products. Since Gloria was working late, Fenton would be paying for his and Aaron's meals while Scrooge had already paid for his family's meals.

"Mar-Vell taught me a lot of things and I was quite the avid reader when I was in my pre-teens," the auburn-haired young man replied modestly. "I wasn't really gonna strike him, I was just giving him the taste of his own medicine."

"Well, I'm grateful for that but I also feel a little bad," the young intern admitted slowly. "I'm biologically older than you and it was my idea to mess with the magnets but you ended up having to fix it."

"It's no problem," Aaron insisted in a reassuring voice. "You're my friend and I'm not gonna stand by while you get demeaned."

Fenton smiled before turning to the counter as they finally arrived at the counter to get their food which they had pre-ordered while in the car, a perk of the mercantile, saying, "Hi, we're here to pick up our order. Two foot long hot dogs, both with mustard and ketchup, a pepperoni pizza with extra cheese, two glazed donuts, and two medium Peps!"

Aaron waited patiently alongside Fenton, exchanging smiles with the young Latino drake and other customers, when he saw the man bringing their food to the counter and his jaw dropped in surprise.

"Here ya are," a familiar old drake said as he brought them their food before accepting their money. "Enjoy boys!"

Both nodding in gratitude, they began to head towards a table but not before Aaron whispered in astonishment, "Stan?"

"What?" Fenton probed in confusion as they set their food down.

"That was Stan from Sugar Blush, the new sweet shop I went to with Webby today. The very same guy," the humanoid said in a half-whispered tone, gesturing discreetly.

"Huh," the young intern breathed. "You know, now that I think of it, I have seen him working at different businesses all over town. In fact, I'm pretty sure he's a janitor at the bin."

"Really? Either he's the most wanted employee in Duckburg or he really needs a lot of these jobs," Aaron murmured, a sympathetic frown on his face. "We should have given them a bigger tip."

"We will next time," the blooming young scientist nodded in understanding.

As they ate, Aaron saw the boys, who were sitting with their uncles and others at the other table where Nutmeg was napping on Launchpad's shoulder, shooting friendly smile his way which he returned with a wave. However, the moment Donald saw how the auburn-haired young man's eyes were on his nephews, he used one arm to hug them closer, causing Aaron to wince while the boys frowned in annoyance.

"I guess not everyone is happy about me being here," the humanoid said dejectedly as he turned back to his meal.

"He's just overprotective," Fenton said softly though he shot a sideways glare at Donald. "He's raised those three since they were eggs."

"Really? No wonder the guy is so jumpy," Aaron muttered. "What happened to their parents?"

The young Latino drake swallowed hard, "Well, from what I heard their mom decided to be a single parent so went through a process. But then she went missing."

"Was she kidnapped?" the humanoid whispered in alarm, praying the kids didn't hear them.

"All I was told was that she took a trip and never came back," Fenton shrugged, obviously wanting the conversation to end.

Deciding to change the subject, Aaron was quick to say, "I wish I had a brother or sister growing up. I know Mar-Vell was trying to do her best and I'm not saying the babysitters weren't good company but it felt weird being the only other Kree on Earth M."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," the blooming young scientist nodded.

There was a silent pause though it was strangely warm, not cold or tense.

"So, how long?" Aaron inquired in hushed voice so low that it was nearly unheard by the one he was addressing.

"How long what?" the young intern probed back in confusion.

"Gizmoduck," the young Kree stated knowingly.

Fenton nearly fell out of his seat but thankfully managed to keep himself from screaming, "How did you know?"

"I was trained to depend on my sense of hearing over any and then I saw the way your Mom looked at the both of us," Aaron stated simply.

The young Latino drake blinked in shock before sighing and whispering, "Several of months. Almost a year."

"And you're sure you want me fighting alongside you?" the humanoid questioned carefully.

"You've already proven you can," the blooming young scientist responded encouragingly. "This city doesn't just need people like Gizmoduck. They need something more. They need Starcaster."

Aaron couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and pride well up in his chest as they continued with dinner. As they got to their glazed donuts, the auburn-haired young man blinked as he felt a presence beside him. He turned and was greeted with the grinning face of the middle triplet.

"How come your nose isn't bruised and broken from when Ma Beagle hit you with her cane?" Dewey asked expectantly.

"Well, along with inhuman strength, Kree are also more durable and are faster healers," Aaron explained patiently.

Suddenly, Dewey's eyes drifted to the right sleeve of the humanoid's shirt and without warning, pulled it up and gasped, "Whoa, cool! You have a crescent moon-shaped scar!"

Fenton, who was about to scold the blue-clothed triplet for encroaching on Aaron's space, saw what the male duckling was looking at. A whitish-pink scar in the shape of a slim but visible waxing crescent moon marred the upper right arm of his house guest, almost reaching Aaron's shoulder and was larger than a quarter.

"How did you get that?" the young intern asked with concern that he did not bother to hide.

"Oh, this? Well, it's kind of an embarrassing story," the young Kree started as he rubbed the back of his neck with his left hand. "I was ten or eleven and I found this baby robin on the ground, just chirping. I figured it must have fallen out of the tree while trying to fly. I didn't want to leave the poor thing there and I didn't want to leave it to go get help in case a predator got to it so I did the only thing I thought was right. Picking it up and putting in my shirt pocket, I climbed the tree."

So invested in his story, none of three minded how the rest of the group came to listen.

"You think I would have found the nest when I was about six feet up but no. That robin must have either somewhat flew/fell down or been a fighter because I didn't find the nest until I was over halfway to the top," the young Kree continued. "When I found the nest, I put the robin back with its siblings and was about to climb down when I saw that the Sun was setting and the Moon and star were becoming more apparent."

Suddenly, Aaron made an embarrassed sound that was a cross between a sigh and a chuckle, "I don't know why I did but I stood on the branch and outstretched my hands towards the Moon as if I could touch it. I wanted so badly to be in the air like my mother had been. Like the Airforce pilots my godmother interacted with. Then, before I knew it, the branch broke and down I fell."

The kids and the buff drake gasped, Nutmeg only yawning and stretching, before the humanoid said to them, "I hit the ground arms first. Don't ask. When I woke up, I was in my bedroom and Mar-Vell was right beside me. When she asked what was I thinking, I just said this; I wanted to touch the sky. That was the first time she laughed and cried in front of me. Of course, she told me to never do that again. And I had a sprain wrist that healed within five days or so."

Everyone was quiet for a moment, letting that sink in before Louie loudly announced from under the table, "Look! He's got a tattoo too!"

"Louie!" Donald began to reprimand but it was too late.

Immediately, his older brothers dashed beneath the table to look as Fenton also ducked his head in attempt to scold them for once again being too invasive. He was stopped when he saw that the youngest of the Duck triplets was correct. On the inner side of the auburn-haired young man's left leg was tattoo that depicted what looked like a golden bronze sparrow with outspread wings and a indigo music note.

"When did you get that?" Huey asked.

"I got it for my seventeenth birthday," Aaron stated casually. "My godmother let me get it. It always seemed that any Earth culture that defied Kree social expectations and restrictions, she let me partake in. I got a bird because of the story and to symbolize my love for the skies. The music note was because of my love for Earth music."

"And because you can play the guitar and sing, right?" the young Latino drake added quizzically.

"You can play an instrument and sing, too?!" Webby gasped excitedly.

"Alright kids, leave him alone," the sailor-suited drake said in exasperation as he swooped up all four of the kids.

"Be honest; is your mom gonna be mad?" the young Kree asked nervously.

"Not after you tell her that story," the blooming young scientist reassured. "Besides, you got it a long time ago with the permission of your godmother."

"Though I do recommend keeping your marks from prying eyes," Beakley put in kindly and wisely to which the auburn-haired young man nodded.

Unknown to the group, someone was taking particular interest in the newcomer from afar.

In a corner with phone and a small fountain drink, Mark Beaks murmured slyly in a husky voice and a predatory grin, "Mmmm, hello hot stuff."

* * *

Sorry if Chapter 4 took too long but here it is! So yeah, Stanley Howards' name is also for Howard the Duck but he mostly resembles Stan. And Ram's Corner's name is based a little on Sam's Club but more like the mercantile from _Pioneer Woman_. And yes I put a _Wreck-It Ralph _reference in there. Anyways_,_ I hope those of you reading enjoy this chapter and leave comments. Those who are not fans may move on but do not leave any hateful comments, please and thank you.


	5. Chapter 5: Birds of Prey

Chapter 5: Birds of Prey

Aaron was no stranger to taking responsibility of another living being. After all, he had Nutmeg for quite a while and sometimes his babysitters needed to look after him at the same time as another child or two. And when that said child or children were younger, he wasn't afraid to step up to bat and act like an adult. Not to mention that Mar-Vell had her sick days and even though she insisted, he would do everything possible to help her. So, when a young female duck with three small children rang the bell three days after taking on Black Arts Beagle, he wasn't surprised but couldn't help but feel a little nervous and excited.

The female duck anthro, who looked like a younger and slightly taller version of Gloria with dark cacao hair, stared at him in awe for a moment before inquiring, "Oh hello, you must be Aaron! Are Fenton and my aunt here?"

Smiling, he nodded while stepping aside to let her in, "We're having breakfast. Come join us."

It was no surprise at all as the young Kree had been well informed the day before. Gloria, the fourth child of six in a family of eight (her mother had been a teacher while her father had been a firefighter), had gotten a special call the evening before. Valentina, the daughter of her second oldest brother, had called asking if her aunt and cousin could watch her three children. Of course, the mother and son duo happily agreed, though they did warn her that they were housing another person now.

"Tia Gloria, Fenton!" Valentina announced as she hugged the other two tightly.

"Hi sweetie," Gloria cooed before kneeling down to hug the two small children. "And how have these babies been?"

The boy duckling, who seemed to be the eldest and only male of his siblings, looked to be around five. He had a slightly darker color off feathers than his mother and was wearing a pale violet shirt with Gizmoduck's face on it, something that made Aaron smile even more. The middle duckling, who also had the same color of feathers as her brother but her mother's hair, wore a soft spring green blouse and pink overalls. The last was also female and looked just a couple months shy of being a year old, a complete carbon copy of her mother and was wearing a onesie with a baby blue onesie with a white kitten on it. And all three were currently being fond over by the young intern and his mother.

"Look who's been doing some growing," Fenton chuckled as he patted the eldest on the head. "You've finally been eating your vegetables, Manolo?"

"Yes!" the oldest of the ducklings chirped.

"And little Sofia and Maya are growing more beautiful like their mother every day," the Cabrera matriarch put in as she addressed the toddler and her little sister respectively.

When Aaron took a step closer to introduce himself, three children, even little Maya, snapped stared at him in utter awe and apprehension. Automatically making

"Kids, it's alright. Go say hello to Aaron," Valentina softly encouraged, gently urging her eldest and middle children.

Manolo was the first to step up, holding out his small hand, "Hi!"

Feeling relief flood his chest, the humanoid leaned down a bit and smiled while shaking the smaller appendage, "Hello Manolo, I'm Aaron."

"And you're the man from the news," the only male of the three added excitedly. "You're eckstwa-ekto- you're from space!"

"In a matter of speaking," the auburn-haired young man concurred.

"Hi!" Sofia said, toddling over to join her brother in shaking the five-fingered hand before looking to her mother while gesturing. "It Stah Asta Mama!"

"Yes, sweetie," the mother of three cooed. "I know who he is. And I cannot tell you how grateful I am for you guys watching them. I'm covering a co-worker's shift at the hospital, the daycare is closed for the day, and my usual babysitter is visiting family."

"It's no problem, sweetheart. Family is family," the older Latina duck reassured.

"Speaking of family, how is Quinn doing?" the blooming young scientist asked, referring to his cousin's husband and father of their children.

"He's fine. Still has three months to go until he can come home," the nurse said with a slight smile, trying to cover her worry.

"He's a good, strong man," Gloria reassured as she hugged her niece. "He'll be back soon."

"No thuit," Sofia proclaimed softly, looking at the humanoid's clothes which consisted of a rich ocean blue T-shirt with a royal purple peacock on it over a tropical rainforest green long-sleeve with black denims and dark smoky tennis shoes.

"Well, that's because I don't plan on using it today, Heaven willing," the young Kree stated patiently with a kind smile. "And I don't always need the suit to take out bad guys."

"So, how are you guys going to trade off again?" the younger Latina duck inquired curiously.

"Well, M'ma's gonna have them for the morning, then I'll take them at Noon for a while, and then Aaron's gonna get them around the mid-afternoon to the evening," Fenton explained with certainty and confidence which relaxed his cousin greatly.

"And you got the okay from your workplaces?" the mother of three continue to prod with an impressed but slightly skeptical tone.

"The chief of police agreed, as did Mr. McDuck and the people at my work. They completely understood," Aaron cut in soothingly. "Would like me for me to serve you breakfast?"

He offered her a plate that had two loaded sweet potatoes on it; had an egg, cheese, sour cream, black beans, and veggies in it while the other was filled with almond butter, fresh blueberries, pecans, cinnamon, and honey.

"I wish I could but I'm gonna be late if I don't get out the door right now. But thank you," Valentina said as she handed her youngest to her aunt before bending down and hugging Manolo and Sofia. "Be good babies, I'll see you later tonight."

The auburn-haired young man was pleased but surprised that none of the children burst into tears or tantrums when she left. Then again, they had a father who had to leave multiple times so they must have been raised to understand the significance behind a parent leaving for a certain period of time. It made sense but at the same time Aaron felt a great amount of sympathy for the parents and children.

Pushing that to the back of his mind, the humanoid joined the rest for breakfast. Thankfully, the kids were far from picky eaters though, in Maya's case, most of it got on her bib and face. Still, it was a rather quaint breakfast with the little ones asking innocent questions, ranging from did he ever get hot in his suit or if he had laser eyes. They even asked if they could see his room, to which Aaron politely obliged.

The room had changed over the days as there were now posters on the walls, books on the dresser and desk, little possessions of Kree and Earth culture alike. The two children looked curiously around his room as he pulled out one of the boxes under the bed and put it on top.

"Who awe dose guys?" the only boy of the three asked as he pointed at two particular posters on either side of the doorway.

Grinning, Aaron began to explain, "Those are the heroes of my world. On the right are the Avengers. That's Captain America in the middle, then there's Iron Man, then Thor, next Hulk, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and War Machine. They're my Earth's mightiest heroes. They've taken down every foe who ever dared threatened the Earth."

Both brother and sister watched him closely as he told the story.

"The other group call themselves Big Hero 6," the young Kree continued. "There's Chop Chop, Flamejumper, Speed Queen, Red Panda, or Big Red as I sometimes call him, Chemi-Gal, and Kid IQ. Those last two names I made up because I didn't like what other people were calling them."

Aaron forced himself not to cringe as he thought of the dull name "Tall Girl" and the obvious, secret admirer based name "Captain Cutie."

"There are other heroes and vigilantes in my world but these guys are the ones who are the most well-received," the humanoid explained further. "I'll tell you about the other heroes later."

He then turned his attention to the box and pulled out Avengers and Big Hero 6 action figures from the box before handing them to the two young ducklings, "Captain America was my favorite and I've had him for the longest time. Even more so now because of how he and I were both basically frozen in time. The others, I got from a garage sale."

"Garage sale" was a polite word to describe the things being given away by a woman in a run-down neighborhood who was spiting her ex-boyfriend by handing over his leftover possessions to random people who walked by. Aaron didn't know the whole story but guessing from how she mumbled "cheater" and "money-grubbing" under her breath as she explained why she was giving them to him for practically free, he decided it was best not to ask.

"Wow," Manolo breathed, as he began to play with the figures.

Sofia, who had been examining the Red Panda/Big Red figure quickly forgot about it as she pointed at something peeking out of the box, saying "Bun bun!"

Aaron turned around and sure enough, he saw what had grabbed her attention; an old brown and white stuffed rabbit with two dark eyes, floppy ears, a pink nose, and a bushy cotton tail. Without hesitation, he picked it grabbed it out of the box and showed it to the middle child who immediately began stroking its ears and petting its stuffed paw with fondness.

"This is Amelia Earhart. I named her after a famous Terran aviator from Earth D. Had her for nearly all my life," the auburn-haired young man smiled nostalgically at the stuffed animal before offering it to her with a sincere look in his eyes. "Do you think you could take care of her?"

The moment those words left his lips, Sofia nodded her head with determined affirmative, "Yeth!"

"Then, here you go," he said as he handed the stuffed rabbit over to the small duckling before turning to her brother. "And those are yours, kiddo."

Instantly and simultaneously, both siblings thanked him while hugging their new toys, the words, however, coming out as, "Tank oo."

Aaron chuckled but then blinked when he heard an "aw" that did not sound like either Gloria or Fenton's voices. Turning around he blinked in surprise when he turned around and saw that Launchpad was standing in the open doorway holding a slightly soggy looking paper bag while smilingly adoringly at the scene in front. The buff drake paid no mind to the two surprised Cabreras who were also in the doorway, though Aaron was startled that they had seen the warm scene take place at that moment.

"Launchpad? What are you doing here?" Aaron quizzically asked politely but with immense curiosity. "I thought my agreed time to check in with Mr. McDuck and Mrs. Beakley was at seven in the evening."

Over the last few days, he only ever spoke to the pilot/driver when he was being brought to do a check in with Scrooge and Beakley and hang out with Webby before returning to work or going home to have a meal with his hosts. The triplets would often run up to him and ask questions, asking questions and trying to pull him into their activities and hijinks only to be caught by their uncle and ushered away. So far, all Aaron really knew about the sweet, if a bit dim, young adult duck was that he not only enjoyed driving, flying, and having adventures with his employer but he was a big fan of an old show called _Darkwing Duck_.

"Oh, I came in through the front door," the buff drake shrugged simply. "It was cracked open, I didn't know whether or not to let myself in because I didn't want to be rude but I decided then I remembered how Mr. McD gave me a task to do and I don't want to disobey."

"What order?" Fenton inquired also curious.

"Well, when he heard from Gyro how you and Aaron would be looking after these little cuties today, he told me to help out," Launchpad continued but not before tickling Maya under the chin earning a giggle from the youngest of the small ducklings. "He says he doesn't want you guys running around picking them up and dropping them off when you already have your plates full."

"He did?" the young Kree said with slight surprise.

The pilot/driver nodded his head with a smile as he went on, "Yeah, let me tell you how it went down."

* * *

_**The Night Before**_

"_You wanted to see me, Mr. McD?" Launchpad asked as he entered the office, closing the door behind him._

"_Yes, I've got a task to ask of you, lad," Scrooge said as he sat calmly behind his desk with Mrs. Beakley by his side. "It involves Fenton and Aaron."_

"_Sure, whatever you need! I'll be glad to help them out," the buff drake said, becoming eager as he thought of working with the two young heroes, not unlike how he would imagine himself fighting alongside his own purple-clad hero. "What do they need?"_

"_It's more of small favor, really," the Scottish drake continued. "I got word from Gyro that Fenton and Aaron are going to be watching some wee bairns tomorrow. Family members of Fenton's to be specific."_

"_Fenton and Gyro don't have transportation of their own," the undauntable housekeeper put in. "It would be inconvenient and stressful for them to go back and forth to exchange custody of the children between themselves. Not to mention that there are other requirements that involve the significant usage of a automobile."_

"_So, starting tomorrow, you'll be Fenton and Aaron's driver for the day," the eldest duck finished. _

"_Are you sure?" the pilot/driver asked uncertainly. "I mean, how are you gonna get around?"_

"_We have that covered," Beakley said reassuringly. "And don't worry, it's just for tomorrow."_

"_And you have been saying that you want to get to know Aaron better," Scrooge added encouragingly._

_Launchpad thought for a moment. True, it wasn't a task that was as dangerous as he thought it would be and certainly not the same level of intensity but it was still a noble task. And Launchpad did enjoy being around kids, his time Huey, Dewey, Louie, and Webby were proof of that. Not to mention he would be getting further acquainted with the strange but benevolent newcomer to Duckburg. _

"_Alright, I'll do it," the buff drake agreed, a look of pure determination and loyalty on his face. "You can count on me."_

"_Good," the richest duck in Duckburg said with a smile. "You start tomorrow."_

_**End of Flashback**_

* * *

"And here I am," Launchpad announced proudly, arms outstretched with one still holding the paper bag.

"Oh, well that was very kind of him," the Cabrera matriarch said as she adjusted the baby in her arms, hiding how nervous she was to allow the overzealous drive to be left alone with such small children. "I should tell you that I'll be having the kids first with me at the station so you don't have to worry about driving them until Noon."

"Well, that just gives me time to finish my breakfast," the pilot/driver shrugged with a good-natured grin before reaching into the bag he had been holding and pulling out something wrapped in foil.

"What is that?" the young intern asked, as he watched the buff drake unwrap it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, meet the Ultimate Breakfast Dog!" Launchpad announced gleefully as he held up the now unveiled food. "I got it from the Hound House Truck."

Indeed, the item before them did appear to be a hotdog. It was a bacon-wrapped frankfurter in a folded Belgian waffle that acted as a bun and was covered in chili, cheese, jalapenos, and had a sunny-side up egg on top. It also must have had some syrup somewhere because Aaron's senses a strong scent of maple among the myriad of savory flavors. And though he himself thought it looked good by some extent, if a little overloaded, the humanoid thought it was more fit for a late informal brunch.

"It looks hardy," the auburn-haired young man said, smiling in a friendly manner.

"I know, right?" the buff drake nodded eagerly before offering it. "Want a bite?"

"Another time. You dig in though, it's yours after all," Aaron quickly insisted in a kind tone before grabbing a mason jar that was on the desk. "Besides I'm finishing my breakfast right now."

Along with the loaded sweet potatoes, Aaron had made himself a green smoothie consisting of spinach, green apples, bananas, yogurt, honey, and almond milk. The color was a bright fern green and, in the young Kree's opinion, tasted nice.

"That looks cool," Launchpad replied with an equally nice smile though he personally thought smoothies with veggies tasted like juice fermented with old tea.

"Oh, look at the time," the blooming young scientist said quickly as he looked at the time on his phone. "We all better get going."

The older Latina duck was already ushering the two small children out the door, still cradling their baby sister as they returned to the kitchen where the diaper bag and stroller were but not before both knelt down to pet Nutmeg who was passing by.

So far, everything seemed to be going their way that morning.

_Nothing can possibly go wrong_, was atmosphere that wafted through the air as the young Latino drake and the other two males followed his mother.

Little did they know how wrong they were.

* * *

"How come we can't go with Webby to hang out with Aaron?" Dewey asked stubbornly.

"Because, as Uncle Scrooge told you and your brothers, Aaron has his plate full today," Donald said, trying to be patient. "Besides, we have errands to run and I'm not about to leave you boys alone in the mansion while everybody is out. And I don't care if Duckworth is here or not, he's a ghost for crying out loud."

Earlier that morning, Scrooge had told everyone that he and the former spy would be busy that day and that Launchpad would be unavailable as he assigned him to help Fenton and Aaron. But while the female duckling had gotten the confirmation from her grandmother to go along with the buff drake, the sailor-suited drake decided to take the triplets with him.

"But we've barely started to hang out with him," Louie whined petulantly.

"Well, maybe that's for the best," the uncle of three muttered firmly without hesitation.

"What's the big deal? You're friends with the son of Zeus! What's so bad about being friends with an alien?" the blue-clothed triplet asked, voice bordering on suspicion and annoyance. "Wait! Are you trying to keep us away from Aaron because he's not from Earth?"

"Junior Woodchucks are against any form of bias or bigotry," Huey jumped in with a warning tone. "It is self-destructive, it is unreasonable, and its unacceptable."

"I'm not-," the sailor-suited drake began to yell before calming down and sighing. "It's just that I don't want you boys getting attached incase he decides he's not going to stay. Aaron could leave suddenly if he wished to."

"All the more reason for us to hang out with him," the green-clothed duckling grumbled.

"We'll see," Donald said in a exhausted tone of finality.

Meanwhile downstairs, Webby was preparing for when Launchpad would come get her for when it was Aaron's turn to watch the kids. While her grandmother and Scrooge did inform her that the children were quite younger than her, that did not make her want to spend any less time with them. Or the humanoid himself for that matter. As she went through her backpack to make sure she had everything (snacks, a small first aid kit, binoculars, grappling hook, extra rope, infrared goggles, and so on), she heard the door open. Looking up, she saw Launchpad come in with happy but nervous smile.

"Hey Launchpad!" the retired spy's granddaughter greeted cheerfully before noticing the pilot/driver's uneasiness. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," the buff drake said quickly before sighing a second later. "It's just I keep thinking about how I saw Aaron with those kids."

"And?" the female duckling probed, both intrigued and worried.

"Well, it's got me a little nervous," Launchpad continued. "I mean, I like kids too, especially you and the boys. But what Aaron did? Well, that's a whole new level I don't think I can measure up to."

"I'm sure you could," Webby soothed sincerely.

"We'll be helping him look after some tiny kids. Even tinier than you, Dewey, Louie, and Huey," Launchpad continues nervously. "What if I do something wrong and he gets mad or upset?"

"Aaron's not like that," the female duckling insisted. "He can tell a person has good intentions, even when they make a mistake. And remember how he handled Gyro? He knows how to treat people, even when they're unfriendly and you're far from unfriendly. Any hiccup you make today, he won't even bat an eye at."

"Yeah," the buff drake murmured to himself as a confident grin began to appear on his face. "Yeah! You're right! I got this!"

Suddenly, his phone rang emitting the theme of his favorite show. Grabbing it, Launchpad saw that it was Fenton who was calling, the two having exchange phone number and became fast friends after the B.U.D.D.Y. incident. He proceeded to answer the call as Webby grabbed the last of her things and strap on her backpack.

"Hey Fenton, what's-," the pilot/driver began but was cut off by the other's urgent voice.

"_I need you to come here and get the kids asap!" _the young intern's voice rung out from the phone, the sound of distressed noises from the two oldest siblings in the background. _"Dr. Gearloose is threw up and he passed out!"_

"Okay, okay! I'm coming!" the buff drake said quickly before hanging up. "We gotta go!"

"What happened?" the retired spy's granddaughter asked in alarm.

"I don't know but I think that maybe today isn't going according to plan," Launchpad said as he ushered her out the door but not before grabbing his keys off the counter.

He didn't seem to notice that he grabbed something else off it as well.

* * *

"So, you're afraid this Launchpad guy is gonna think you're some kind of stuck up prick?" the young canine anthro who had green highlights in her dirty blonde hair and amber brown framed glasses.

"Yup," Aaron confirmed as he looked down at his feet as they sat in the car, the test having been over for five or ten minutes.

"And you're afraid that he'll see you as some controlling, domineering busy-body?" she continued.

"You hit the nail on the head," the humanoid said half-heartedly.

"Well, it sounds to me like your feelings of self-doubt are based on your own idea of how people personally see you rather than how they publicly," the young teen replied.

"You got all that?" Aaron rhetorically probed. "Well, someone knows her osychology. Is that what you're going for when you go to college?"

"Well, that and some cultural studies," she admitted modestly.

"You'll do great, Candi," the young Kree nodded with an honest smile. "If your determination and focus is the same in the educational environment as it is behind the wheel, you've got yourself a one way ticket to success."

"Thank you!" Candi blushed with a huge grin as she got out of the car.

As they walked into the front desk, their conversation was cut short when they saw who was inside.

Launchpad, Fenton, and Webby were there sitting patiently next to Ariel, the buff drake playing action figures with Manolo, Sofia hugging her bunny while Webby softly talked with her, and Fenton rocking a fussy Maya.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" Aaron asked in surprised but soft tone.

A look of embarrassment and stress was evident in his eyes as he said, "I'm really sorry about this but you're gonna have to take the kids earlier than we thought."

"What happened?" the auburn-haired young man asked with panic.

"Well, apparently Dr. Gearloose ate some bad sushi the night before," the blooming young scientist began. "He came in anyway despite Manny trying to get him to go back home. The kids were with me for an hour before we finally realize how sick he was when he puked all over his desk."

"It was yucky," Manolo piped up as he played with the Captain America and Iron Man figures.

"Is he gonna be okay?" the humanoid asked worriedly though relieved that the kids were not hurt.

"He'll be fine," Fenton reassured. "But he scared the heck out of poor Manny. Freaked him out so bad he accidentally kicked over a table with the diaper bag on it."

When he saw alarm paint over Aaron's face, the young Latino drake quickly added, "The kids were startled but no one was hurt! The only other thing that got was the kids' snacks."

As if to back up the other drake, Launchpad took out a slew of plastic baggies that were filled with snacks. Or rather the remains of snacks: bruised and smashed fruit, pretzels and crackers that were nearly broken to dust, smashed string cheese sticks, and crushed juice pouches.

"We tried to salvage them," the buff drake said with a weak smile.

"It's fine. I'm just glad everyone's okay," the young Kree murmured genuinely as he came over to gentle rub Webby, Sofia, and Manolo on the heads. "I made extra snacks that I put in the limo."

Similar to the pilot/driver's unveiling the decimated baggies and drinks, Ariel pulled out a large blue cooler to show to the others.

"Whoa, you really did come prepared," Webby said with a grin.

"If you need to, you can leave for the day," the mother-to-be added.

"Are you sure?" Aaron asked carefully.

Although he knew that it was unfair to make Launchpad wait in the front with all the kids, including Webby, he was a bit worried on leaving so suddenly when he had just begun working.

"I'm certain," Ariel said with great confidence. "I know what it's like to have your hands full with little ones. I use to babysit all my cousins and siblings."

Slowly but with gratitude, the humanoid nodded with a smile, "Alright then. Thank you, Ariel."

After the others gave their thanks, they all headed out to the limo, not paying attention to the fact that someone was watching them.

After dropping Fenton back off at work, Launchpad and Aaron decided to head to the park for lunch and playtime. They allowed the kids to run around for a bit, pushing them on the swings, the both adult males rotating on who they pushed to ensure that the none of the kids thought one of them had favorites. And, of course, there was the slide which made the humanoid very wary as he watched two oldest go down on while also watching the younger two on the spring riders. Thankfully, the buff drake was immensely helpful as he kept a firm eye on them, especially the baby.

He was even more help as he watched them walk and fool around on the jungle gym while he played sacky sac with Webby. Both the auburn-haired young man and female duckling were impressed and surprised by each other's abilities. Webby had cringed when her turn had led to the sac being sent through another tree, causing it to fall over. However, she was surprised, and ecstatic, when Aaron had sent the sac shooting straight for a large rock located a few meters away, breaking it in half when it struck.

Launchpad was so entranced as well that he just barely managed to catch Manolo before he fell off the monkey bars. Just as he was sure the auburn-haired young man would blow up at him for almost letting it happen, Aaron came over to him, not with an enraged scowl but a gentle, relieved half smile.

"Let's break for lunch, huh?" he simply stated as he warmly as he patted the buff drake on the shoulder to which he was given a simple nod and smile in response once the pilot/driver realized he was not in any trouble.

Aaron was quick to get the kids their lunch first which consisted of grilled cheese sandwiches with tomato and sautéed spinach that he had cut into fun shapes with cookie cutters. The drinks were berry smoothies that contained red cabbage, beets, and celery that was covered up by grape juice, bananas, and, as the name said, the berries. There were also tater tots that had broccoli hidden in them as well. Then there were snack bars made from cereal, raisins, peanut butter, honey, and chocolate chips. Finally, the desserts themselves were cinnamon oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Once they had the kids eating away at their food, Aaron and Launchpad settled down with their own meals, though the former had to balance having his own lunch while feeding Maya a container of organic pureed spinach, kale, blueberries, and pears.

"Whatcha got there?" the buff drake asked curiously.

"Quinoa with tarragon, thyme, basil, cranberries, and almonds with honey lime chicken and some lemon roasted asparagus," the young Kree said before he showed the slightly older anthro a can while Maya babbled in the crook of his arm. "With some peach Fiizze."

While a fan of sugar, Aaron had decided to try to a lighter beverage instead of the soda, or pop, he had been introduced to and found delicious. Heck, even Pep tasted like a familiar brand of soda that was similarly named. He even tasted something called Pep Lemon-Lime which, once again, tasted like another soda he had grown up with in the other dimension.

"And what about you?" the humanoid as just as intrigued.

"Me? Oh, I just got something from a food truck called Duck Bros Tacos," the pilot/driver shrugged. "A wet burrito with some chocolate chip nachos."

The last one made Aaron blink as he echoed, "Chocolate chip nachos?"

Launchpad nodded a little eagerly as he showed the newcomer. The "nachos" were apparently tortillas that looked to be baked and covered in cinnamon sugar, though the auburn-haired young man's senses told him that there was a hint of espresso powder and perhaps some chili powder. The whole thing was covered by caramel sauce, chocolate chips, and whipped cream. Like the pilot/driver's breakfast hot dog, it looked quite delicious though not as overwhelming.

"That does look pretty good," the humanoid said, sounding impressed as he wiped Maya's mouth a bit.

Without warning, Launchpad said, "Want a taste of mine?"

Though startled, Aaron quickly said with polite smile and humorous tone, "Only if you try mine."

Nodding, Launchpad grabbed an extra plastic fork and used it to scoop up a small amount of quinoa, a piece of chicken, and a head of asparagus while Aaron used his own metal fork to gently pull out a nacho with nice amount of the caramel, chocolate chips, and whipped cream. Both males were unaware that the retired spy's granddaughter was watching them with nervous and excited intensity. As both swallowed their respective samples, their eyes simultaneously and comically widened as matching smiles also appeared.

"Oh my gosh that's good!" Aaron said after he swallowed.

"And yours is delicious!" Launchpad happily exclaimed back, emphasizing the "de" of the word. "Did you make that yourself?"

"Yes. You would be surprised by what someone who is homeschooled can learn to do in their extra time," the humanoid said proudly. "Even after all my time in stasis, I still remember. It's just a matter of introducing myself to new things."

"Speaking of which, how are you with your new phone?" the buff drake asked.

Aaron proceeded to take out the object in question which he obtained the day after Black Arts Beagle's arrest. It was the current model, same as the Cabreras and the kids' phones and the only numbers currently on it those of Flurry, the Cabreras, Scrooge and his family, Webby and her grandmother, Ariel, and, just recently, Valentina's. The only other thing attached were his star-shaped headphones.

"Honestly, it's pretty easy. It's more advanced than the Terran tech I was familiar with growing up. Still not as advanced as Kree tech though," the auburn-haired young man said off-handedly before his eyes widened as he realized what he said, slapping a hand over his eyes in mortification. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. I must sound like some snotty know-it-all to you."

"No, no, not at all," the buff drake reassured. "I think it's cool how you can adjust to the present despite being from the past. I mean, it's like you're a time traveler. Or, er, something."

Aaron stared at him for a second before giggles escaped his mouth. Then a full out guffaw. Then, before anyone knew it, he was trapped in a fit of laughter that Launchpad learned he was not immune to as he also began to lively howl. Soon enough, the kids were giggling as well, though Webby was the only one who knew what it meant other than how comical the conversation was.

An hour later, as Launchpad led the kids to the car, Aaron went to use the public bathrooms that sat adjacent to the playing area. While washing his hands, he stared at his reflection while he washed his hands with citrus scented soap. He recalled what he read about Kree biology and knew that his appearance wouldn't change by much in fifteen or twenty years. Perhaps it was a blessing that he had been put into stasis. How would it look to the humans that he had come to love as much as the Skrull refugees when he still looked like a college-age youth. He also wondered, hesitantly, how everyone else on Earth D would feel about that. He tried to push those thoughts away as he dried his hands and turned to the leave.

He stopped and nearly jumped out of his skin as he saw someone blocking the door.

The person in question was a male African grey parrot who looked to be the same age as Fenton, early to mid-twenties. He wore a dark gray cardigan over a pale corn yellow button shirt and tan pants and was twiddling with a phone in his hands. But what really got the humanoid's attention, was the half-lidded, smirking look that the unfamiliar avian anthro was throwing his way.

"Wassup?" the avian said in a cool tone as though he wasn't blocking the exit in front of a total stranger but rather pulling a pleasant surprise on an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Oh, uh, hello," Aaron said in a polite manner, despite how strange the situation was. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there, Mr.-?"

"Beaks. Mark Beaks. Founder and CEO of Waddle. You must have heard of me," the other male said, tone suave and proud. "It's an honor to meet the amazing Starcaster."

While his face grew hot, the young Kree couldn't prevent the shiver that ran through his body as his alias was cooed to him by this Mark Beaks person, the iciness in his spine taunting the heat in his cheeks though the blue nicely matched the freezing feeling. He then realized how they were the only two in the bathroom.

"Well, Mr. Beaks-," Aaron began but was quickly cut off.

"Please, Mr. Beaks was my father's name," the male parrot insisted charmingly but the auburn-haired young man caught how the word "father" was said with a drizzle of contempt. "Please, call me Mark."

"Alright then, Mark," Aaron replied in the friendliest tone he could muster at the moment. "I wish we could talk more but I need to get going."

The young Kree felt stupid the way he said it, as if just those words would magically make the other vanish into thin air. And as he anticipated, the other did not move but rather pushed himself off the door he had been leaning against.

"Now wait a minute," Mark began with a slight chuckle. "I don't know your civilian name."

Aaron cursed himself in his head as he bit his lip before saying in a polite manner, "It's Aaron."

"It's a gorgeous name," the male parrot cooed.

If Aaron's blush didn't cover his entire face before, he was certain it did now.

"Wow, your blush is blue," Mark said with a surprised smile as he took a step closer until he was just inches away. "It's adorable."

Despite being taller than the other, the humanoid could not keep himself from feeling like with each word that game from that gray beak drained him. And definitely not in a good way.

By some chance of fate, the door flew open, startling both young males. A large, hulking canine anthro in a blue work shirt and jeans stomped in, face glowering. Not a second after, a small canine anthro boy who looked like a cuter version of the larger male toddled in.

In a gruff tone that barely passed as polite, the adult canine rumbled, "If you two gentlemen are done with the restroom, my boy needs to go."

Before the young Kree could say anything, Mark angrily snapped, "Can you wait?"

Aaron jumped back as a large fist, about as large as Bouncer's fist, lunged forward and wrapped around Mark's neck before pulling him to meet the enraged gaze of the larger anthro.

"Say that again, twerp," the canine snapped.

Quickly acting, Aaron grabbed Mark's arm and pulled him out of the large fist with all his own inhuman strength while saying, "I am so sorry, sir. My colleague here woke up on the wrong side of the bed. And on top of that, he did not get his morning coffee. I'll see to it we get out of your way."

With that, the young Kree pulled himself and the other male passed the irritated father and dashed outside. The humanoid sighed with relief as he got them far enough from the bathroom without the annoyed parent following them.

Suddenly, from outside Aaron heard Launchpad yell for him, "Aaron? You almost done?"

Without hesitation, the auburn-haired young man left but not without patting the male parrot's shoulder, he said, "I better get going. Have a nice day, Mark!"

The anthro in question, who had been frazzled by the whole scenario, blinked himself back into alert and tried to call out, "W-Wait!"

However, by then, Aaron was in the limo which promptly drove off. And despite the awkward turn of events, the Waddle CEO could not keep himself from watching the limo go with an intense look of want.

* * *

Not too long after they left, the pilot/driver and the auburn-haired young man, who was seated behind the other while remaining close to the kids, began having a conversation. And even though a good chunk of it was about the buff drake's beloved hero, other topics were included, particularly that of piloting.

"So, your mom was a pilot?" Launchpad asked with sincere intrigue.

"Yes. My godmother says she was one of the fiercest and most dedicated in the Starforce," Aaron replied with a smile and nod. "She said my mom could fly circles around all the other pilots before they could blink."

"What about you?" the pilot/driver asked a little excitedly. "Did you learn how to fly?"

"I learned the basics along with a few advanced maneuvers," the humanoid said with a humble tone. "When she would teach me how to fly the plane that she was planning to put the light speed engineer in. She taught me everything about Kree ships and we used what advanced resources we had so I could learn what flying a Kree ship was like."

"Have you thought about getting a pilot's license?" the buff drake inquired without warning. "You would totally earn one with your eyes shut. Just like I did with my own driver's license."

Giving his friend a rueful smile, Aaron said, "I don't think it would be as simple as that. Not if anyone of Flurry's superiors or other of Earth D's government higher ups have anything tos ay about it."

"We'll all help you," Launchpad continued to insist with great confidence and determination. "You're a good person. Why don't you think they would give you a chance to earn your wings?"

The auburn-haired young man bit his lip as his voice lowered, "I guess I don't want to be like one of those Kree who think that I should get what I want and that everyone is insignificant and should bow to my desires. I don't want to be that guy."

Webby, who had heard every word while the three younger ducklings were drifting off to take their after-lunch naps, she stared at the humanoid with astonishment and pity.

Just as she was about to say something to comfort him when the buff drake, in the firmest voice the female duckling ever heard her use, said, "You're nothing like that. You're good."

Aaron's head shot up, seeing that Launchpad was staring at him firmly with an encouraging smile. One that Aaron couldn't help return with gratitude.

After a moment, Launchpad reached into his pockets as he asked, "Want some gum? It's grape flavored!"

While grape was not one of his flavors, Aaron smiled and nodded, "Sure, thank you."

Pulling his hand out of his pockets, the pilot/driver opened his palm to offer the gum. However, what he unveiled was certainly not grape-flavored chewing gum. It was a dark violet plastic rectangle with a golden dollar sign on the tip.

Picking it up, Aaron looked at it closely before saying while holding out towards Launchpad, "Is this your USB drive?"

"No, I don't own those. Or at least I think I don't own those," the buff drake said with uncertainty, just as startled as the humanoid. "Do I have magic pockets?"

"You must have taken it when you left the manor," the young Kree reasoned gently. "And by the looks of the dollar sign, it probably belongs to Mr. McDuck. We should probably stop there and leave it for him."

At that moment, Launchpad's phone rang a second time that day, the caller ID showed that it was none other than the duck that Aaron mentioned.

Answering the call, the buff drake spoke, "What's up Mr. McD?"

Aaron was close enough to hear the Scottish drake speak urgently, _"Launchpad, have you seen a USB drive? It contains a copy of some of the ideas that Gyro and Fenton have based on the blueprints that Aaron provided. I thought I had it with me in my pocket but it's not there. Just a pack of grape gum!"_

"No worries! Me and Aaron found it!" Launchpad announced happily before saying in an embarrassed tone as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I accidentally grabbed it. I'm sorry."

"_It's fine but you need to bring it over to the bin and fast! The board members are not fans of waiting. I'll meet you in the lobby," _the richest duck in Duckburg said before hanging up.

"Well, at least we know where the drive needs to be," the auburn-haired young man said comfortingly.

A few minutes later, the pilot/driver had done a barely legal U-turn and began venturing towards the direction of the bin. By this time, all three siblings were napping peacefully while Webby kicked her feet patiently while examining one of the action figures, the Black Widow one to be specific. Seeing that there was no one in distress or in need of his aid, the young Kree prepared himself to drift off too. Or at least that was the plan until he looked at the back window.

A sleek black car with tinted windows and a white falcon on the hood seemed to be driving dangerously close to the limo. Bumper to bumper, as a matter of fact. Aaron made no move to alert his friend or the female duckling. Instead, he sat quietly but never took his eyes off the car, praying that it was all in his head.

His suspicions were unfortunately proven right when they began driving up the road leading to Scrooge's bin, the limo and the car being the only automobiles. And the mysterious vehicle was still driving too close for comfort.

As they pulled into the parking garage, Aaron whispered seriously to Launchpad, "Don't look now but we've got some company. And they don't look friendly."

Following the other's gaze, the buff drake's eyes widened as he gulped and turned his to look ahead, not daring to turn it again. While he was far from being a genius like lead scientist or his intern, the pilot/driver was no stranger to random attacks and hostile people. He had been with Mr. McDuck long enough to be well-acquainted with unsavory visitors. That didn't make it any easier.

Webby, having listened, also found herself looking at the back window with the utmost concern. The retired spy's granddaughter moved herself closer to the three younger ducklings, almost like a sister trying to protect her baby siblings. In spite of her apprehension, she glared with courage and defiance at the stalking car.

Once they pulled into a parking spot, the humanoid looked both Launchpad and Webby in the eyes and said, "Don't get out of the car until you see me give the signal. Launchpad, grab the kids and get ready to run to the elevator. Webby, stay close to him. And whatever you do, whatever you hear, _don't look back_."

Neither said anything but Launchpad was already squeezing into the back to grab the dreaming and unaware children while Webby remained in her seat despite her mind screaming to do something. Getting out of the car, the young Kree closed the door with a firm slam before striding calmly to stand in front of the car that was just parked several feet behind the limo. When he was about to take a step closer, the driver's side door opened ominously slowly, not unlike the way closet doors creak open in horror movies. A mustard yellow, foot with sharp talons stepped out as a strong looking cedar brown hand gripped the top of the door. The owner of the limbs stepped out to reveal himself to be falcon. He was intimidating with his equally sharp, black tipped beak, narrowed eyes, and muscular physique that rivalled that of Launchpad's build. He appeared to be wearing a three-piece suit with black pants, coat, and an eggshell white shirt with a black tie. His hair was black as well and slick backed to show a civil side to his violent presence.

Eyes narrowing at the humanoid, he said in a deep and smooth voice, "Good afternoon. Starcaster, I presume?"

"I am. And you are?" the auburn-haired young man said civilly but his tone was pure glacier ice.

"My name is Falcon Graves. Professional corporate saboteur. You might have heard of me," the ominous bird of prey said with a tone of smugness though he did not smile. "I am here on a mission to collect a valuable piece of information from McDuck enterprises."

In the car, Launchpad blinked as he whispered to the female duckling while keeping a firm but gentle hold on the sleeping cargo, "What is he talking about?"

Webby looked at the buff drake's pockets and her eyes widened as she hissed, "The drive!"

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," the young Kree snorted with heated sarcasm. "First, word of advice; never tell someone that you're a top criminal with illegal intentions. I don't care if you call yourself a professional and dress in a suit. I'm not gonna stand by and let you do whatever you have planned. You can call anti-freeze Organic Tropical Pop and put it in an old-timey glass bottle and I still won't drink it."

Graves's frown deepened as his eyes darkened into dangerous slits.

"Second, you're out of luck. You know why? Because I'm not gonna be like your other targets and roll onto my back so you can walk all over me and hurt people just for some dirty money in your pocket," the humanoid spat. "Even if you do take me down, I'm not going quietly."

The older avian slammed the door shut and proceeded to stalk towards the other to stand just centimeters away, "I was counting on that."

What seemed like forever passed as they glared menacingly at each other, though it was actually two minutes, before Aaron whispered with a stern tone, "Your move."

The ominous bird of prey's shoulders relaxed for a moment as he turned his head to casually glance around before abruptly pulling his arm back and launching it towards Aaron's face. But the auburn-haired young man was ready as he caught the fist with one hand, surprising the other. The surprise quickly turned into pain as Aaron twisted Graves's wrist before grabbing his whole arm and flipping him to the asphalt.

Twisting his head, the young Kree shouted, "RUN!"

Without hesitance, Launchpad jumped out of the car, the little ones fitful but not awakened, and began running for the door that would lead to the inside and then to the elevator, Webby close behind.

Seeing the fleeing ducks, the older avian jumped up to chase but was once again slammed to the ground by a roundhouse kick from the young Kree who snarled, "Leave them alone. They have nothing to do with you."

"But they do have what I want," Graves growled in frustration bordering on rage.

Aaron's eyes widened, "What?"

"You would be surprised how easy it is to hack a phone call," the ominous bird of prey sneered as he launched himself.

"Then perhaps someone should school you in respecting other people's privacy," grunted as the larger body collided with his but managed to deliver a blow to the older avian's abdomen with his knee before delivering an uppercut punch.

Shakily picking himself off the ground for the third time, Graves wiped his beak as he replied, "You're not like the rest of the bodyguards that the Duckburg elites hire, are you? No, you're stronger. Combine that with whatever training you've had, you could topple anybody in this city. You should consider a more empowering line of work."

"No thank you," the auburn-haired young man said firmly. "Unlike you, I don't need or want to ruin and steal from others and call that a living."

For the next several minutes, which felt like hours, the young Kree and the business spy continued to fight. Although Aaron managed to keep it up, Graves did get more than a few hits in, one example being when he shoved the humanoid into the wall before the humanoid retaliated by harshly throwing the other into the side of the black car.

"That's it!" Falcon finally roared as he began stomping towards the young Kree who was catching his breath. "This ends now!"

However, he was suddenly stopped as a strong looking mechanical arm grabbed his shoulder from behind and pulled him back. Aaron sighed with relief as he saw the familiar figure of his friend as Gizmoduck alongside Scrooge and Beakley. All three had their narrowed gazes on the business spy, the eldest drake's glare being the most furious of all. Sensing his boss's need to unleash his ire, Gizmoduck lifted the struggling older avian then swung him upside down, now having both of Graves' legs in the strong metal hand extending from his chassis.

As the ominous bird of prey was brought inches before him, Scrooge growled, "Listen and listen well you self-serving serpent, if you ever threaten that young man or anyone associated with me ever again just to get to me, you'll be getting the most painful beating of your life. Do you understand me?"

While Graves expression didn't change, Scrooge saw that small gleam fear in his eye that said the message had gotten through.

Satisfied, Scrooge turned towards the mechanical-suited drake and said in a stern, professional tone, "Gizmoduck, get this rubbish out of my sight."

Nodding whilst smirking at his captive, Gizmoduck began venturing out of the parking lot but not before turning his head to mouth to the young Kree, "I'll be back."

With that, both friend and foe were gone, leaving the humanoid with the two old but still spry ducks.

Wasting no time, Aaron asked, "Are Launchpad and the kids alright?"

"They're fine thanks to you," Beakley reassured gently. "And you?"

"I got roughed up a little but not too much," the auburn-haired young man shrugged his shoulders before rubbing his right one. "Fast healer, y'know? Just don't tell Ms. Cabrera."

When both nodded, Aaron then proceeded to ask, "That guy, Falcon Graves as he called himself, says he was here to get information for someone. Who do you think he was working for?"

Both ducks' eyes widened slightly before Scrooge spoke first, sighing as he did, "It's my fault. I should have warned you. Being the richest duck in Duckburg and a well-known explorer gets you enemies. More often than not, they target those close to me, including my family. And, unfortunately lad, I'm afraid by taking on that pseudo-regal ruffian, you have been marked. I'll understand if you wish to maintain a distance from myself and my family."

Beakley nodded as she spoke politely, though sadly, put in, "We can arrange something with Flurry-"

"No!" Aaron quickly cut them off firmly but gently. "I'm sorry. What I mean to say I am not gonna suddenly bail on you guys just because punks like Fail-con Graves want to earn success and wealth the coward's way. I was no stranger to being threatened by those who wanted victory by hurting me and those around me. The only difference is now I'm gonna have to get a little more physical. But I am not backing down. Never again."

As he began to head to the doors to reunite with the buff drake and the kids, he stopped and spoke once more, "If those people have a problem with me being allies with you, then they better get ready to throw down if they think they can intimidate me or anyone else."

The minute he went inside and was out of ear shot, the undauntable housekeeper spoke with a slight smile and impressed tone, "You were right, Mr. McDuck. There is something special about him."

* * *

After finding the adult anthro and the children safe and unharmed, the three youngest ducklings still miraculously asleep while Webby looked relieved to see him alright so much that she hugged his leg. While he had been taken by surprise by the sudden gesture, he couldn't help but return it with equal warmth. A couple of minutes later, the Scottish drake and the retired spy came back in and thanked both adult young males for bringing back the USB drive. Webby decided to stay with her grandmother and surrogate uncle, explaining that once Launchpad was done, she didn't want him to have to make more stops before going home to rest.

In the parking lot, just before they got inside the car, Gizmoduck returned, unsheathing his helmet to reveal Fenton's worried face as he checked over his friend and his cousin's children. Aside from a few bumps and scratches, the humanoid was quite alright and the three sleeping ducklings were perfectly untouched and unaware of the upsetting events. Once they promised each other that they would not tell the Cabrera matriarch or the ducklings' mother about the incident to avoid upset, the young Latino drake returned to the lab. And deciding they had had enough excitement for one day, both Aaron and Launchpad decided to head home so that they could relax until it was time for the kids to go home.

Surprisingly but luckily enough, the kids woke up not too long after they returned to the Cabrera home without any qualms or signs that they were affected by the danger that had passed. Both young adult males took great pleasure in playing with all three of them; playing puzzles, pretend, and action figures with Sofia and Manolo whilst reading, playing blocks, and talking with Maya. As the Sun began its slow decent, Launchpad kept the kids busy by watching _Darkwing Duck _episodes on the TV (Aaron himself was quite surprised that the show, despite the cancellation and being quite old, had reruns on one of the channels) the young Kree began making dinner.

Dinner consisted of macaroni and cheese where the cheese was a blend of real cheese and a veggie sauce made of carrots, cauliflower, and some early butternut squash courtesy of Duckburg's organic hot house. There were also hamburgers with broccoli and spinach mixed into the burger. Manolo and Sofia, as ravenous as any children their age, dug right in while the auburn-haired young man fed their sister some freshly pureed peas and green beans with some mashed chicken and brown rice. Even Launchpad enjoyed the healthy and tasty meal.

"This is really good!" the pilot/driver complimented happily. "Wish I could cook this good. But maybe next time we hang out I could take you to grab some Oodles of Noodles. It's this food truck that uses noodles in place of hamburger buns, hot dog buns, taco shells, and stuff like that! It's really good!"

"Oh, they had something similar back in San Fransokyo! But I think it only did burgers," the humanoid replied. "I tried it and it was really good! If that truck's food is anything like it, I know I'll love it."

The two continued to exchange conversation while also talking with the children. Soon as dinner was over and the plates were cleaned, they all dug into some rocky road ice cream that Aaron had bought the day before. The kids past the time with petting docile Nutmeg who had been watching over them for the past few hours and reading, everything being peaceful until Maya started to become fussy. Even after changing her diaper (Launchpad actually fainted at that part) and giving her a teething ring, the youngest of the brood would not quiet down.

"Mommy and Daddy say babies cwy fow no weason," Manolo had said as though comforting the two adults, although he winced as he youngest sister delivered a loud wail.

"Poo babeh," Sofia said as she patted the little one's curly locks.

The young Kree decided to take the baby into his room to calm her down and to relieve the two older siblings of the distressing noise while Launchpad ran to the bathroom. Upon exiting, he was surprised to discovere that the both older and middle siblings, accompanied by the female Flerken, were at Aaron's door, peeking in through a crack.

"Hey kids, what-?" the buff drake began but was startled back into silence when they turned to him while pressing a finger to their bills, telling him to not make a sound.

Curious and worried, the pilot/driver came over to peek as well. What he saw and heard, however, made those fears melt away as he saw Aaron strumming a guitar sitting by a somewhat soothed Maya who was propped up on his pillow. And in the most elegant voice, he was singing to the little one.

_Sunny days and starry nights and lazy afternoons_

_You're counting castle in the clouds and humming little tunes. _

_But somehow right before your eyes the sun fades away._

_Everything is different and everything has changed._

Launchpad continued to watch and listen, the soft but clear tone complimenting the auburn-haired young man's guitar skills nicely.

_If you feel lost_

_And on your own_

_And far from home_

_You're never alone you know_

_Just think of your friends_

_The ones who care_

_They all will be waiting there_

_With love to share_

_And your heart will lead you home_

It was then that Launchpad realized that he had unconsciously taken out his phone and was recording it. Although a large part of him was feeling a bit guilty, another part felt right capturing the beautiful moment. As the song began to end, the buff drake rushed the two kids and Nutmeg back over to the couch where they proceeded to act as natural. Well, the children did but Launchpad was trying to hard with innocent whistling, changing the TV to some old black and white movie, and reading an upside down magazine.

Upon reentering the living room with a happily gurgling Maya, the young Kree spoke, "Hey, are you guys having fun?"

As both adult duck and ducklings replied in the affirmative manner, the pilot/driver patted his pocket where the phone, and the precious recording, were.

* * *

Here is Chapter 5! Sorry it took so long, preparing for my brother's birthday! And to go over somethings, Aaron's wing extensions look like Sari Sumdac's jet pack wings from _Transformers: Animated _just stronger and advance looking and are the same color as his suit. And yes, Duck Bros Tacos is a parody of Dos Bros Tacos from _Turbo _and _Turbo F.A.S.T. _and the chocolate chip nachos idea is from there as well. And yes, Aaron did listen to some music and became acquainted with some beloved heroes during his week after waking up on Earth M/Marvel verse. And the minor OCs, the father and son, is based off how in cartoons when the character, usually the villain, pick on a child they are confronted by an overprotective, inhumanly strong parent. And the song is Kenny Loggins's "Your Heart Will Lead You Home." No, Launchpad and Aaron are not going to be a couple and Aaron will learn more about Beaks soon enough. And some of the recipes, I did get from off the Internet, namely _Tasty_. Aaron also listened to quite some songs before he came to Earth D! I apologize if I failed at trying to do five-year-old and three-year-old speech. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this and thank you for your patience!


	6. Chapter 6: Breaking the Tides

Chapter 6: Breaking the Tides

The Sun shone down on the city of Duckburg but Aaron could only feel a coldness set in. And based on the distrustful and stern look from the sailor-suited drake driving the car, he knew that the feeling had absolutely nothing to do with the worn air-conditioner. The humanoid smiled politely at the uncle of three to show his sincere nature but was given a mild glare of suspicion in response. Giving up for the moment, the young Kree turned his attention to the four ducklings sitting chipperly in the backseat.

"You guys ready for a day at the beach?" Aaron asked with an encouraging smile.

The moment the question left his lips, all four began to yell in excitement, causing Donald to snap, "Now look what you've done! You've got them all riled up!"

Ignoring his uncle's reprimands, Dewey nearly jumped out of his seat as he said, "We're going have the most awesome time at the beach! Hey Aaron, do you think we could fly through the waves? That would be so awesome!"

"Didn't you say that your suit can work as an underwater suit too? Can we go diving?" Huey jumped in eagerly. "Oh, I bet we can find some new type of sea life!"

"Or ancient artifacts!" Webby put in with equal vigor.

"Or buried treasure that even Uncle Scrooge hasn't found yet!" Louie added just as excited as his brothers.

"The point of this trip is to have a nice quiet day at the beach with your Uncle Donald," the sailor-suited drake said calmly with a hint of reprimand before he moodily added. "And I'm sure Mr. Vellvett would like some time to himself while he's at the beach too. After all, he is paying for it."

Aaron winced at the detached tone that was used upon the uncle of three saying "Mr. Vellvett." Donald seemed to use that more than his first name when he addressed him, showing where the young Kree stood in his eyes. An ally but nothing more, far from someone you can laugh or feel comfortable around. It was disappointing as the auburn-haired young man had hoped he could use this trip to not only have fun but also further prove his worth of being trusted.

It had been almost a week since Aaron's arrival and every time he stopped by the mansion to say hello or spend time with Webby and the boys, Donald would be there to stare down the young Kree as though he was some shady figure from the past coming to cause psychological drama. One incident in which he brought homemade banana muffins with a cinnamon sugar coating to give the kids as a snack, the sailor-suited drake would not let any of the ducklings eat one, saying he didn't want the kids to spoil their dinner though it was only two in the afternoon. When he had come back later for the plate to hear Beakley and Scrooge scolding Donald for being rude and trying to use one of Gyro's inventions to make sure the muffins didn't have "anything."

And the day before yesterday, when the four children were watching _Ottoman Empire_, the humanoid had playfully snuck up behind them and tickled Webby and Dewey, eliciting screams that quickly descended into laughter. However, when Donald heard the scream part, he had dashed right into the room and squawked/screamed so loudly at the young Kree that he nearly got whiplash as he snapped around to face the agitated uncle of three. Aaron had quickly apologized but had left once he saw that the damage had been done.

So, that's why upon finding out he had today off, he had asked the Manor inhabitants the day before if they would like spend the day with him. Along with wanting to get closer to the family of the ducks who had gotten him out of the S.H.U.S.H. base, Aaron supposed it was also because he didn't want to be by himself. Neither Gloria or Fenton had the day off and despite his offers to help them out, they had insisted that he should relax and have fun on his day off.

"You've earned it! Go do whatever you want, mi amigo," Fenton had told him encouragingly.

Although Aaron had accepted that he had a day to do whatever he wished, he definitely did not want to be alone. He had endured loneliness for too long. However, he found his silver lining to the situation when he came to the mansion and inquired if anyone would like to accompany him to the beach. Of course, the kids immediately took up his offer but the sailor-suited drake took some more convincing. Thankfully, after all four pulled some puppy pouts, coupled with the firm gazes of the older occupants of the Manor, Donald finally gave in with much reluctance remaining. The auburn-haired young man had hoped that the short-tempered duck would warm up to him and begin to trust him but so far, it looked like there was still some resistance.

The tension did not go unnoticed by the children who exchanged looks of worry as they felt sympathy for the young Kree and annoyance with their overprotective guardian's bad attitude. The barely hidden embarrassment at their father-figure's hostility towards the newcomer was conveyed in winces and sullen frowns that they quickly hid by whispering amongst themselves about what they would do. Webby especially couldn't help but want to say something to defend or prove her older friend's good-intentions but all she managed was to reach over and gently pat his arm. At least that earned her and her male friends a soft smile.

They passed a wooden sign that read _Welcome to Duckburg Beach _with a small picture of two young ducks happily splashing in the water painted under the letters. Not five minutes after they passed the sign were they greeted by the cerulean waves and sandy layout, most of which was dotted with umbrellas and colorful towels with sunbathers laying on them. A line of sizable buildings were placed more than a couple yards away from the sunbathers, separating them was a small road for bikers and joggers. Getting closer, they saw that there were more beach goers than they thought.

In fact, most of the beach goers appeared to be young canine anthros around Aaron's age, only a few of these new anthros being of the avian variety. The males were either wearing tight fitting tops and denim shorts and khakis or were shirtless with swim trunks or just in wet suits. As for the females, they either wore capris with crop tops, swimsuits (mainly bikinis), and wet suits as well. And were they loud! Wild splashing and play fighting in the water coupled with the surfers and water skiers. The ones on land were chasing each other, tackling each other into the sand, throwing frisbees, playing volleyball, having barbecues, and dancing to some music from their phones. Very few of them were sunbathing as opposed to some of the beach goers who the two adults and four children had seen glances of around town and knew were local.

"Oh no," Donald groaned as he pulled into the parking space that was located just a few meters away from the buildings, spotting the different cars that were obviously for much younger drivers. "College students on Spring Break. One of my worst nightmares."

"Why? What does it mean?" the young Kree probed worriedly.

"It means a bunch of jerks who think that just because they're living in dorms and out of their parents' houses for over half the year, they can come here and do whatever they want," Louie huffed with annoyance.

"They aren't even from Duckburg's university. They're from a couple of towns over," Dewey put in with equal distaste

"One year, some frat boys tried to use the old, condemned shark watch tower to hang out and one of them almost fell over while leaning out and they had the nerve to try sue the city!" Huey added, just as distressed as his brothers as he gestured to a large rickety looking structure at the far right end of the beach.

"They're so stupid," the youngest triplet sniffed condescendingly.

The only other person in the car who was shocked upon hearing these things besides Aaron was Webby, though since she had been raised in the mansion most of her life and so far, she had never witnessed such events. Though, that must have been because her visits to the beach didn't coincide with college Spring Break. Until today.

"What do we do now?" Webby asked half curious and half nervous.

"I think we should just go home and maybe try again some other day," the sailor-suited drake said urgently.

Upon hearing the children groan and seeing their frustrated and disappointed expressions, the humanoid quickly asked, "Have they ever hurt anyone?"

"What?" the short-tempered duck said in confusion and slight irritation.

"Have any of the locals ever been assaulted by these college students?" Aaron persisted to question.

"The locals have argued with and complained about the college students who come here from out of town but no one has ever gotten into a physical fight," Donald answered truthfully. "If there is a fight, it's always among the students and their peers. Why?"

"Because that means they're not as stupid as we think. They're smart enough to know if they cause trouble for the locals, they they'll get in trouble. So, chances are they'll leave us alone. Especially if we avoid and ignore them," the auburn-haired young man said logically.

"Are you sure?" the uncle of three inquired skeptically like a cop who was being asked to help an overly anxious caller who had a history of tomfoolery with the police.

"I'm about ninety percent sure," Aaron said honestly. "C'mon, do you really want to let these guys ruin a day out for all of us?"

Donald blinked as he stared at the humanoid before looking back at the four kids. How long had it been since he spent some time with his nephews/surrogate sons? Too long, he realized shamefully. It almost seemed that even when they were all on the Manor grounds, they were busy with their own devices. Donald with his boat and the triplets with preparing for their next adventure or day out even before it began. Even when they went on adventures together, it did not feel like adequate bonding, especially when they were too busy running from danger. Not to mention that while Beakley, Launchpad, and Scrooge spent a good amount of their time around his boys, he hardly had any one on one time with the unusual but sweet female duckling. And although he wasn't too sure about having the young Kree with them, he knew that it was better than just giving up and going back to the Manor.

Sighing in somewhat defeat, the sailor-suited drake said, "Alright, fine. But remember; don't go talking to those college punks. If they say hello, give them a nice little wave but nothing else. Understand?"

"Yes!" all four exclaimed as they nodded wildly.

With that, Donald parked the car and everyone began to pile out. The kids stood and watched as both older males began taking the beach paraphernalia out of the car, the majority of it courtesy of the sailor-suited drake. Floaties, life vests, sunscreen, aloe vera gel, a first aid kit, a large umbrella, life preservers, and several other pieces of items, most of them more aimed towards water-related emergencies than a fun day near the ocean. Aaron was about to make a remark about it but then decided against it. Afterall, he wasn't a single guardian who had to raise three energetic children alone, so he said nothing as he helped carry the items.

"Do you think we can find a spot?" Dewey asked as he was overwhelmed by the number of college students taking up more space than needed.

Aaron scanned the beach for any spots before his eyes landed on a nice, large open space of sand in the front of all the other taken spots, pointing to it, "There's one!"

"We need to hurry before someone takes it!" Webby said as all six of them began to quicken their pace.

Suddenly, the young Kree said, "I have an idea."

"What are you-?!" Donald began to ask as Aaron grabbed the umbrella and rolling it in one hand before reeling his arm back and tossing it like a spear.

It sailed through the air shortly but sharply before hitting its intended target handle and shaft first as the force of the landing and the ocean breeze caused the canopy to open.

"Whoa!" all four said in unison as they reached the umbrella and the spot.

"That was amazing!" the middle triplet crowed.

"And clever!" the eldest triplet complimented. "Did you use Kree algorithms to make sure the umbrella would land in the right place?"

"You should come train with me and Granny sometime!" the bubblegum-clothed duckling said eagerly.

"Dude, you rock!" the green-clothed triplet cut in before turning to the unaware college kids messing around near the sandbar. "Take that you frat dorks!"

"Louie, behave. Remember, no talking to them," Donald scolded as he began to set down the beach towel and other objects before redirecting his attention towards Aaron. "And while that was impressive, you have to be careful! You could have accidentally hit someone!"

The four ducklings frowned and looked ready to come to their friend's defense but the auburn-haired young man quickly said in a sincere and apologetic, "You're right. I'm sorry. I should have thought about it harder first."

While the short-tempered duck stared wide-eyed at the humanoid, clearly surprised by how someone so much younger but stronger than him was quick to submit and accept the harsh criticism, he quickly said in a still firm voice, "It's fine. Just try not to get carried away."

He didn't catch the frustrated and disapproving looks of his nephews and the female duckling. After they finished getting everything set up, Aaron and Donald proceeded to help the kids put on sunscreen, the former taking care of Webby and Huey whilst the latter focused on Dewey and Louie. The humanoid feared that if he made one wrong move, maybe rubbing the ducklings' feathers too hard or accidentally squirting a little of the sunscreen into one of their eyes, would provoke the uncle of three into a violent reaction. But thankfully, no such mistakes were made and the sailor-suited drake seemed to slowly becoming a bit more relaxed.

As they waited for an opening to go wade in the water, the kids busied themselves with digging through the sand, finding seashells and a small crab that nicked Donald's finger which resulted in a loud squawk of pain that got him several startled looks and glares. When that grew old, the kids started to build sand castles, making it into a small competition with Webby and Dewey coming out the victors. Finally, when the students began drifting back to their towels, shade, and public beach showers, they took the opportunity to go splash in the tides.

The triplets were wearing swim trunks that were the same colors as their normal clothes while Webby sported a pastel and hot pink one-piece bathing suit, the only girl keeping her bow while the eldest of the boys decided to leave his hat in the car. The short-tempered duck was wearing black, blue, and yellow swim trunks with anchors on them whilst the young Kree settled with just wearing his own suit as always. All at once, it seemed all the stress and unspoken antagonism from that morning, and the past couple of days, melted away as they all splashed through the cool waves being tossed to them by the sea.

As the auburn-haired young man allowed Huey and Dewey to climb onto his shoulders, he watched the uncle of three splash his youngest and the retired spy's granddaughter. Gone was the stress-filled and vexed expression that he had constantly seen on Donald's face was gone and was replaced with a carefree smile as joyful laughter emitted from his throat, eyes closed shut but no doubt filled with happiness and excitement as he was surrounded by the kids and their laughter. It was so endearing and Aaron felt like he not only accomplished his aim to earn Donald's trust but this reminded him so much of back-

Suddenly, a large figure burst out of the water and grabbed Donald before pulling him away, eliciting a loud yelp from the short-tempered duck.

Aaron quickly turned towards the figure, ready to strike the one who horn in and rip the uncle of three from his kids when he stopped.

Where he was expecting one of the college students or maybe a Beagle Boy to be standing menacingly with furiously struggling Donald, he was greeted with a different sight. A tall and muscular stork with daffodil blonde hair and vanilla feathers was smiling with closed eyes as he happily hugged, yes _hugged_, the uncle of three in his arms. His gold silk tunic clung to his figure due to it being drench with sea water and his bronze bracelets shone brightly under the sunlight. He even wore a golden bronze headband that matched his hair which was also soaking wet and had seaweed clinging to it. In fact, there was a lot of seaweed clinging to his shoulders, arms, and neck.

"Storkules!" the kids cried with surprise and excitement.

"Storkules?" the humanoid echoed with confusion as he relaxed his stance.

"Storkules," Donald sighed with exasperation and relief.

"Oh, friend Donald! It is a surprise and a gift to see you and your family upon reentry to land as I bid goodbye to my visit with noble Uncle Poseidon and his aquatic kingdom," Storkules crowed happily as he smiled down on the uncle of three who was casually gazing up at the benevolent Greek god with both fondness and tiredness.

"Hey buddy," Donald said dryly.

It was then that the immortal anthro took notice of the humanoid, "And who is your unique and dashing new acquaintance?"

"Oh, uh, I'm Aaron! Aaron Vellvett," the auburn-haired young man said finally as he outstretched his hand in polite greeting.

"Also known as the one, the only, Starcaster!" Dewey crowed as he followed that with "rahs" as though he was creating the noise of a excited crowd.

"Starcaster?! Not THE Starcaster who took out a hoard of Beagle Boys faster than Hermes can fly!?" Storkules said giddily as he bent down with an eager grin to get a better look at the humanoid.

"You know me?" Aaron said, eyes widening a bit with both confusion and a slight touch of wariness.

"Yes, I heard word that a new hero had arisen in humble Duckburg," the legendary hero said before chuckling coyly while winking at the Aaron and the four ducklings. "Sea nymphs can be quite the news bringers."

"I'm sure they can," the young Kree nodded with politeness, allowing a smile to spread over his mouth as the kids giggled.

"I've had my fair sure of earfuls from those salty sea gossipers," the short-tempered duck jumped in with an eyeroll that the humanoid saw as, dare he say, playful.

"Oh, what a glorious return this is! I am greeted by my dearest friend, the great adventurer, and my newest friend, a rising hero of Earth!" Storkules continue to trumpet with glee as the group of now seven began to depart from the water and head back to their spot, the water lapping playfully at their heels as they crossed the shore onto the dryer sand.

"Great adventurer?" Aaron echoed curiously, noticing the pale scarlet blush that bloomed on the face of the anthro still in the benevolent Greek god's arms.

"Indeed!" the immortal anthro continued with pure eagerness. "Why don't I regale to you, strong Starcaster, the tales of Donald's adventures with his noble Uncle Scrooge and his-?"

The Storkules's offer was shut down by the uncle of three's shout of anger and dismay as he suddenly began to writhe wildly in the strong buff arms holding him, trying to launch himself at something as his blush turned into a full face ruby color.

The other six looked to where he was gesturing furiously and their jaws dropped as they say why. In their spot was a group of four or five college aged canine anthros, most likely the out of towners, laying down or standing around as they talked loudly and slurped cold drinks that did not look kid-friendly. As for their belongings, they were all tossed aside, some apparently mangled. Before anyone could stop him, Donald freed himself from his friend's hold and proceeded to stalk over and yell incoherently at them, causing them all to stop and stare.

"Hey! What's the big deal?!" a muscular, though far from muscular as Storkules, male canine with tannish peach fur and light brown hair confronted the angry middle-aged duck anthro.

"YOU STOLE OUR SPOT!" Donald shouted so loud, almost all the other beach goers heard, the ones closest in proximity began moving away in fear and slight displeasure.

"Oh, really? Huh, didn't see your name on it," the young canine snorted nastily, ignoring the glares from the ducklings and humanoid as they picked up their beach paraphernalia.

"You practically trashed our stuff you spoiled palooka!" the short-tempered duck continued to shout, his rage not fading.

"Uncle Donald, come on! They're not worth it!" Huey yelled before Storkules, with all the equipment in one arm, swooped up his friend in another and they slowly began walking away.

However, the egotistical college student wasn't done as he took the volleyball from one of the others in his group, who knew better than to protest, before lugging it at them where it got Aaron in the back of the right shoulder.

Stopping, he half turned his face as the rest of the group stopped and looked back in shock as well.

"Awwww! Did I hurt the space monkey's feelings?" the leader continued to instigate. "Nice wetsuit, loser! Were you going for Universe's Biggest Chump or Out of This World Weirdo?"

Where the humanoid was satisfied with glaring, Louie was not as he ran forward and up to the beach bully before kicking a bit of sand at his knees and snapping, "Look who's talking, brainless! You get your trunks from your grandpa?"

A ten seconds barely passed before the youngest of the triplets had a gallon's worth of sand kicked in his face, much of it getting into his eyes and mouth, causing him to fall back and splutter as he rubbed futilely at his face.

"Louie!" the young Kree gasped as he snatched the green-clothed duckling up before handing him to an equally mortified Donald and Storkules.

"Whatcha gonna do now?" came the taunting inquiry from the young canine anthro.

He got his answer as Aaron turned towards him with the deadliest glower that could make the deadliest dagger out to be nothing but a plastic butter knife.

"Guys, head to the showers and rinse out Louie's eyes while I deal with this," the auburn-haired young man said without looking at them, a deadly calm voice adding to his deadlier gaze.

All five obeyed, Louie still being too incapacitated by the irritating sand to do anything as he was swept away.

Volleyball under his right arm, Aaron stomped forward, his target frozen as the surrounding students began immediately to back away in fear.

"H-Hey man, it was just a joke!" the beach bully whimpered with shaky, uneasy grin.

Stopping just inches in front of him, Aaron snarled, "Oh yeah? Well, why don't I deliver the punch line?"

Without warning, Aaron suddenly jumped into the air, a good near twenty feet before taking the ball and striking it down hard.

The young canine anthro let out an ear-splitting feminine scream as he stood petrified, waiting for the impact as his fellow students fled…only for it to land with a loud crack just a hair's breath in the sand in front of him. Everyone looked to see that the impact had caused a crater that was as wide as a young rhino and almost ten feet deep. Slowly, locals and tourists alike began to gather around it in awe and curiosity. Even the bully seemed to be intrigued from the moment as he managed to shake himself out of being petrified before he fainted.

Aaron, who had landed just a minute before on the other side of the crater, coolly walked around before standing a foot away from the unconscious troublemaker, saying casually, "How's that for a space monkey?"

With that, he trotted away, not noticing one particular all-male canine anthro group of students with their phones out.

"That was epic!" one short anthro with a beard and classes said. "Tank, did you see that?!"

"Oh, I saw it baby!" one heavily-built anthro with pale tawny hair, the one called Tank, laughed loudly with excitement as he fiddled with his phone. "Wait until Dog-Boy and his pals see this!"

Over at the showers, the six anthros gapped at what they had seen while drying themselves with their towels. Slowly the ducklings' beaks formed into excited smiles.

"I have got to learn that move!" Webby said with unbridled eagerness.

"That was awesome!" Huey shouted as he finished helping his youngest brother dry off who was also grinning like mad.

Dewey turned his head at the two adult anthros and was happy to see the legendary hero looking with an impressed and admiring look but immediately frowned when he saw the hint of apprehension in his uncle's. As he looked back to the approaching humanoid, the middle brother felt his heart sink with sympathy as he saw the small flash of guilt in those strong but soft baby blue orbs, showing that the short-tempered duck's apprehension did not go unnoticed.

* * *

Currently, though there were quite a few shops and stores, the prime eateries of the beach were The Sandbar, The Shore Shack, The Surf Turf, The Seashell Castle, The Beach and Bean, and Poseidon's Palace. The first was the kind of bar that aimed towards adult customers but was also friendly as it was open to minors, though mainly adolescent, with both virgin drinks and adult drinks. It had the typical bar foods of burritos, nachos, soft pretzels, fried anything, buffalo wings, chili, hot sandwiches, chips with dips, and others. They even allowed the underaged customers to make their own virgin mix drinks, virgin cocktails, and had some carnival-esque desserts like funnel cakes and fried candy bars. The Shore Shack had similar foods but most of the menu was grill-based with corn on the cob, burgers, hot dogs and others forms of frankfurters, ribs, and shish-ka-bobs with milkshakes and ice cream sundaes for dessert.

The Surf Turf was where one could get a lobster rolls or lobster stew, fish tacos, shrimp in any way, clam chowder, calamari, crab cakes, and other sea items alongside items like steaks, chicken, and turkey burgers. It even included some vegetarian, vegan, and Cajun and Southern dishes as well, while their desserts leaned more towards the fruit side, varying based on the season and what's available. The Seashell Castle was the most sophisticated of all the others, not only acting as a fine restaurant for the elites, or for those who got a nice enough payday to dress up and go out, but also for other forms of regal events like high teas and social food and drink tastings. The food itself ranged from French to German to Indian as did the desserts, many of them exotic like crème brulee, tiramisu, trifles, souffles, and fancy chocolate truffles.

The Beach and Bean, as the name implied, was a coffeehouse and a café though more beach oriented than Starducks was. And, in many opinions, had a bit more variety as well. There were freshly made sandwiches, different varieties of coffee, more so than some chains, different pastries, and other snacks and drinks, both popular brand and rare brands. The coffeehouse even carried freshly made ice cream pops and filling salads. The store also carried a few breakfast items like yogurt parfaits, oatmeal, children's snack foods like string cheese, and breakfast sandwiches and naked goods. And Poseidon's Palace was a buffet that included sushi, Mediterranean dishes, seafood dishes, and some fusion cuisines, like Italian-Mexican and Euro-Asian. They also had a menu for adult drinks, not unlike The Sandbar. They even had fresh, locally grown fruit, freshly made ice cream, cakes, cookies, and pies. As the name said, the décor was a combination of sea-theme and Grecian theme.

It is for that reason why the anthros chose Poseidon's Palace whilst their humanoid friend decided to snack at The Beach and Bean instead. Despite objections from the ducklings and even the sailor-suited drake and the immortal anthro, Aaron insisted he would be fine eating at the coffeehouse.

"It's a bit crowded in there," the young Kree had said before smiling nervously. "I need some time to sort through my thoughts. I'll dine with you guys next time, okay? I promise."

Half an hour into their meal, both benevolent Greek god and uncle of three left to use the restroom, leaving the kids to eat their meals and talk privately.

"Do you think Aaron's alright?" Webby asked worriedly.

"What do you mean?" Dewey inquired though he had an idea of what she was saying.

"It's just that he seems to be beating himself up a lot today," the only female duckling of the quartet continued. "He hasn't said anything but you can see it."

"I saw that too," Huey put in. "I think his going to eat away from us is him punishing himself by some degree."

"Why? He hasn't done anything wrong," Louie jumped in.

"Not in our eyes, but his eyes," the eldest brother explained after swallowing a bite of his egg roll. "He thinks he's done some crime by getting aggressive with that meathead back there."

"What? But that jerk was the one who started the whole thing, not Aaron!" the middle brother said defensively said as he was about to take a bite out of his pulled pork sandwich.

"Guys, remember, Aaron's not proud that he comes from a race that was known for their indomitability back in his universe," the bubble-gum clothed duckling said sympathetically. "It's like he's afraid showing any aggression will show he's just like the Kree who enjoyed oppressing others."

"But he's not like them," the youngest of the triplets said firmly with a hard gaze. "I know that, you know that, we all know that. He could never be that kind of person."

"It's sounds like Aaron thinks otherwise," the blue-clothed duckling whispered morosely.

All they could do was fall silent and dwell on their conversation.

* * *

"I don't know, Storkules," Donald said as he looked down at the turquoise colored sink he was in front of. "He's been so patient and friendly to me and all I've been is really rotten to him. Heck, he even paid for our meals even though he's not eating with us."

"Friend Donald, I'm sure that someone as noble and compassionate as Starcaster will forgive your distrustfulness if you just speak to him," Storkules gently encouraged with soothing smile. "Afterall, I remember a time when you were quite wary of me before I proved my sincerity and earned your friendship."

"At least I called you by your first name," the short-tempered duck objected sadly. "Heck, I barely call him by his first name, let alone his hero name."

"Just try," the legendary hero insisted. "If you are this adamant to make things right, then I know he will forgive you and your relationship will grow as healthy and strong as ours."

Taking a deep and shaky breath, the uncle of three looked up to see his deity friend's reassuring expression and his own shame-filled eyes, "You're right."

* * *

"Why do I do these things?" Aaron muttered to himself as he sucked down the last of his Berry-Banana Bonanza smoothie.

Upon entering the coffeehouse, he was greeted by bright and soothing murals of the ocean and tropical landscape painted on the walls and cozy looking tables and chairs. It cheered him up a bit as he bought himself the smoothie and a pesto chicken caprese panini. However, even after finishing his food, he found his previous deprecating thoughts crawling back.

_Moron, moron, moron_, his mind chanted spitefully. _You could have injured that guy or worse! Who taught you to turn the other cheek? The mafia?_

His was interrupted from his thoughts as a beautiful looking Rhode Island Red hen anthro with reddish gold feathers, silky strawberry blonde hair, and honey-colored eyes, with a tray in her hands, walked up to him with a sweet smile. She wore the coffeehouse uniform, a bright blue uniform with accents of orange and green, showing that she was a barista. He blinked in surprise as she settled another strawberry smoothie and some sand dollar cookies in front of him.

"On the house," she said smiling. "Manager decreed it. Those pricks you put in place have been harassing our customers and the customers in the other businesses all day. We owe you."

"Well, that's awfully kind of you," he said as he looked at her name tag. "Winnie. Thank you. And tell your manager that I said thank you as well."

Nodding, she walked back to the counter while Aaron sipped on the new smoothie, savoring the sweetness and tanginess. Although he favored blueberry, he found that he could never object to the red berries. That and he was told that they were sold out of blueberries and blueberry products but he was hardly picky. Besides, the ripeness of the strawberries brought back memories. Memories of sitting in a car as he was driven to pick fresh fruit from a nearby farm where the owner liked to allow anyone in need of fresh produce the first pick of the season. He remembered strawberries in everything, from a muffin to jam to crumble bar to even some savory dishes. He remembered how he would giggle as a slim hand fed him-

"Hey there, is this seat taken?" a professional but friendly voice inquired hopefully.

Tearing himself from his thoughts, he saw a female owl who looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties with a gray business suit, dark mocha brown hair, and bright, lemon yellow eyes smiling at him, holding a cup of iced coffee.

"Go right ahead," the auburn-haired young man nodded with a kind smile of his own and was slightly surprised as she merely sat at the table with him rather than take the chair.

"So, for someone who just got free stuff, you don't look happy," she said quizzically.

"Oh no, I am grateful! I just don't feel good about myself," the young Kree said carefully. "I'm glad I helped by knocking those troublemakers down a peg. I just don't think I did it in a healthy way."

"Really? Tell me more," the amicable professional said sincerely before chuckling. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Zan Owlson."

"Aaron Vellvett," the humanoid nodded as he shook her hand before he began to tell her.

She listened attentively, nodding and responding when it was appropriate and offering a comforting smile whenever he started putting himself down. He felt so relieved as they talked while sharing his free cookies, both enjoying the buttery shortbread dusted in cinnamon sugar.

"I don't regret defending Louie or anyone but I hate that I showed that vicious part of me," Aaron explained. "That's not who I am. I just want to protect people, not hurt them."

"Sometimes, it's necessary for a protector to be vicious," Owlson said gently.

A smile began to creep onto his face when, all of a sudden, a feathered hand covered his eyes and familiar voice said, "Guess who?"

As calmly as he could, the humanoid quickly said, "Mark Beaks."

"The one and only," the male parrot said happily as he uncovered Aaron's eyes before snatching an empty chair and pulling it to sit close to the young Kree while turning partial attention to the slightly older anthro. "Hey Zanny! Have you've met Starbright?"

"We just got acquainted," she said as politely as she could, though her eyes said she did not appreciate being called that nickname. "And I thought his name was Starcaster?"

"It is, but I like to call him Starbright," Beaks practically purred into the auburn-haired young man's ear, eliciting the same blush of feeling flustered and overwhelmed.

Unlike the oblivious social media obsessed man, Owlson saw how the blush was anything but a sign of attraction as she pointedly said, "Really?"

"Yeah," Beaks said before asking. "How's Glommie by the way?"

"Mr. Glomgold has been doing well," the down-to-earth business woman said evenly, though whispered under her breath. "As well as someone like _him _can do."

"Who's Glomgold?" Aaron asked as he returned to the conversation in hopes to fend of the feeling of discomfort that he felt when he met Mark for the first time last week.

"Oh, he's the second oldest rich duck to Scrooge McDuck," Beaks said off-handedly with disinterest. "Invited me to a billionaire yacht party once. Could've been better if there were more people and it wasn't so darn hot and stuff. Buffet was good though."

Just when the humanoid thought that he finally got the rich parrot focused on something else, the ambitious young CEO shot him another lascivious smile as he purred, "By the way, I noticed that you finally got a account up on social media! What took you so long?"

Just four days before, with the insistence of others, particularly the ducklings, Aaron had finally made himself an account but only friended those he recognized and were close to or had shown him kindness. That included his driving students and a few of the people he knew through the Cabreras and Scrooge.

"Well, you know, work and crime," the young Kree said simply with casual shrug, trying to be as calm and polite as possible despite the still present blush of intimidation. "And I really didn't have social media growing up."

At that, Mark drew back in horror as though the auburn-haired young man told him he was dying, "WHAT?!"

"Well, it wasn't developed during the time I was growing up and I was homeschooled-," the young Kree tried to explain but had mixed feelings of dark satisfaction and confused annoyance as the attention-seeking parrot's face continued to get more horrified.

"Oh, you poor thing! You were homeschooled! And I thought my dad being my school's coach was terrible!" Beaks said too raw pity, as though he was talking to a street urchin while still keeping the hungry look in his eyes.

Before Aaron could even get a chance to rebuke, the sound of the coffeehouse door flying open and a male voice screaming, "HELP!"

Everyone swiveled around to see a male duck anthro, who looked to be around the same age as Donald, wearing a sunny yellow turtleneck under a candy red jacket and a matching cap. He appeared to be drenched and smelled strongly of the sea itself, his eyes wide and desperate.

"Please, something's wrong with her!" the seafaring drake begged as he began moving towards the counter.

Standing up and coming towards the upset anthro, Aaron quickly but gently asked, "Calm down, sir. Who's in trouble?"

"My Mitzy! She's not herself!" the unfamiliar duck continued to say, hysteria taking a hold of him.

Aaron felt his stomach twist at those sentences, even if he didn't know who Mitzy was. Was she his wife or lover? Daughter? Sister? Friend? He didn't know but he wasn't about to run from the situation.

As he turned towards his the two anthros he had been conversing with, ready to tell them to call an ambulance, the whole coffeehouse began to tremble. Immediately, everyone began to dive beneath their tables, the employees diving under the counters, while the young Kree and the new anthro stood standing when the latter suddenly dashed back outside.

Without thinking, Aaron quickly followed, only to be met with a sight that left him in shock. Beach goers, local and tourist alike, were fleeing, screaming, and shoving in panic to get away from the very source of their distress. A giant crustacean-like creature, bigger and taller than all the shops put together and colored in various shades of cyan and plum, roared and thrashed about several yards, almost a mile, off shore. The only people who were left were the ones taken refuge in the stores and restaurants. Only the humanoid and the one he was after, who was heading towards the _creature_, were the only one outside.

"Jaws, eat your heart out," Aaron whistled himself as he resumed chasing the strung out anthro. "Sir, come back! It's not safe!"

Stopping and turning around, the red-capped duck shouted while pointing frantically, "But my Mitzy needs me!"

Just as the humanoid was about to suggest that this "Mitzy" got to safety, another voice shouted, "Cousin Fethry?!"

Both turned to see Donald, the kids, and Storkules running towards them, the one who spoke being Huey.

Fethry's distressed expression instantly vanished as he ran past the young Kree and hugged the triplets and sailor-suited duck, "Donald and Little Donalds! I'm so glad you're here! Mitzy's gone crazy!"

"What?!" the eldest triplet said sounding worried and confused as he looked past the quirky duck. "You told me she was fine in our last letter!"

"She was! This just happened a couple of minutes ago," Fethry said as he rubbed his hands fearfully.

The auburn-haired young man stared at them all in confusion as he looked between the group and the sea beast still thrashing around before it clicked in his head and he spoke, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute! Are you telling that _that's _Mitzy!"

Fethry nodded furiously as he looked at Aaron with pleading eyes.

"He's your cousin?" Aaron asked the short-tempered duck and triplets who also nodded furiously. "Okay, I'm sort of caught up. We'll discuss the rest later."

"What are we gonna do?" Dewey asked, wincing as Mitzy let out a furious roar.

"Brave Fethry, family of Friend Donald, how have you managed to control such a creature for so long?" the benevolent Greek god asked as he watched the mutated krill intently.

"Mitzy's just like the rest of my team," the seafaring drake said. "We were all just swimming around the sea bottom when she started acting up."

"And you don't know what's causing it?" Webby asked carefully to which Fethry shook his head.

"Do you think she senses danger like she did last time?" the middle triplet probed.

"I remember that and I don't think so," the red-clothed duckling replied. "Her behavior is more uncoordinated than when we were in the underwater lab. It has to be something else. Someone needs to get a closer look at her."

"And who do you propose is gonna do that?" Louie asked, trying to hide his nervousness and failing.

The young Kree, who had been deep in thought the whole time, quickly spoke up, "I'll do it. My suit acts as an underwater suit and I have a bio-matter scanner. I can look to see if she has any anomalies on her or around her."

"Are you sure?" Donald asked cautiously.

"I'm the one who insisted we come to the beach," Aaron reasoned. "So, I'm gonna make sure _everyone's _day ends on a happy note."

With that said, Aaron dove into the water, activating his suit as it began covering his face, hearing the legendary hero call out encouragingly, "May Poseidon be with you, noble Starcaster."

The suit was quick to encompass Aaron's body in thin, compacted atmosphere of oxygen as the small water turbines on the feet of his suit turned on, allowing him to get to Mitzy faster. He saw the part of her that was still submerged in the ocean was fidgeting as opposed to her thrashing upper half. When he was close enough, he began circling her ever so carefully with his suit's light before stopping at her left side. In the crevice of one of her legs, he could see some cube-shaped, seafoam and aqua colored object stuck in them, the leg itself barely twitching. Using his scanner, a grid of light danced over the area but the scanner quickly glowed red and beeped in warning, signaling the lack of proper use. He quickly began to return to shore, just barely missing getting hit by one of her legs.

"Something's stuck in one of her legs," he said as soon as he came to shore. "It must be really hurting her because she's not moving that leg too much. I tried scanning it but it's pretty deep in there so I don't know what it is."

"Poor Mitzy! This is all my fault!" the quirky duck wailed with shame.

"No, it isn't. These kinds of things happen. Especially considering how some people just toss their garbage into the ocean," the eldest brother said reassuringly. "We need to get her to calm down so we can pull it out. Otherwise, we'll be sent flying to Macaw."

"If only I had the wings of Daedalus and Icarus with me so we could fly up and distract the poor creature of the watery realms," Storkules said frowning.

"Even if we did, it would probably upset her more. She's still a krill, she would think you're an air predator," the humanoid said reasonably. "And like I said, I'm not gonna let anyone put themselves in danger. What we need is to soothe her. Calm her down."

"What do you usually do?" the bubblegum-clothed duckling asked the seafaring drake.

"Well, Mitzy usually calms down when I sing her a song," Fethry said thoughtfully.

"Aaron can sing!" the middle triplet jumped in, causing Aaron to blush as he recalled how the day after babysitting, the kids arrived at his work raving about the way he sang to Maya.

"But what if Aaron's voice isn't loud enough?" the uncle of three asked skeptically.

The youngest of the triplets looked towards the empty lifeguard's station and ran to it, the others watching him curiously before he returned with a megaphone, saying, "You think this would work?"

"It'll have to do," Donald nodded before he handed it to the young Kree hesitantly, showing how he was not too thrilled about any of this.

"Be careful," the female duckling said as Aaron began making his way back to the water, saying what they were all thinking.

Smiling as confidently as he could, the auburn-haired young man nodded, "I'll be back. I promise."

"Wait!" the quirky duck shouted as he ran up to the humanoid. "Let me tell you the song I sing to her!"

After listening to the lyrics, Aaron smiled awkwardly, "Well, I'll do my best."

A few minutes later, he was hovering just feet away from Mitzy, waiting patiently for her to notice him. When she finally did, he felt something akin to awe rise in him as he stared into the large krill's dark eyes.

"Uh, hello Mitzy," the young Kree said sheepishly with a small smile. "I hear you like listening to people sing. I'm no rock star but I was given a song request that you're familiar with. Hopefully, I do it justice."

He then began fiddling with the megaphone, causing it to emit a horrendous sound that almost got him a smack from one of the mutated crustacean's large feelers, making him cringe and say, "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"

As she once again calmed, he cleared his throat with a firm cough and began;

_Blue krill, Blue krill, under the sea_

_True blue, little friend I sing to thee_

_Wet water above and wetter water below_

_Let your friendly glow show the way_

_Through the Ocean!_

As he finished, Aaron looked into Mitzy's large eyes again and that they were almost half-lidded in comfort and her bioluminescence was gently glowing. She even appeared to be emitting a low, non-threatening humming, a contrast to the roaring and thrashing from just a couple of moments ago.

Tossing the megaphone back to the group, where it was caught by the ever keen-eye immortal anthro, the young Kree turned back to the calmed ocean behemoth, "Now, let's get rid of that nasty thing on your leg that's been bothering you, hmm?"

He could have sworn she nodded as he once again dove into the water, turning on his light while he swam to her left side. Slowly, he closed in on the space before grabbing the object with both hands and giving a hard tug. His heart twisted as he heard Mitzy's massive groans of discomfort echo from the surface but felt a surge of victory as he gave a smaller tug and the object came loose into his hands. Now, time to-

He blinked as he felt something brush against his upper back, causing him to turn around in confusion. His attention was brought back forward when he felt the object be ripped out of his hands. He only got a glimpse of something, or someone, swimming away as he felt himself being picked up and pulled from the water.

The auburn-haired young man was once again facing Mitzy, once of her upper limbs having scooped him up, before she lowered her head and nuzzled him. From the shore line, the entire group was cheering happily. The giant krill then proceeded to wade a little closer to land before allowing the young Kree to go fly freely back to the others. Immediately upon landing, all seven anthros swooped him into a group hug, even Donald.

"You did it! You helped my Mitzy!" Fethry cried joyfully.

"May stories praise your empathy and valor, dear Starcaster!" Storkules jumped in.

Aaron could do nothing but chuckle as he gazed at the adult anthros before looking at the ducklings, but was startled to see they were frowning while staring at something else. He followed their gazes which then led to him frowning as well.

Mark Beaks was walking towards them with a suave smile, eyes only on the auburn-haired young man, "Totally cool what you did there, Starbright."

"His name is Starcaster!" Webby piped up defensively.

The attention-seeking parrot paid no mind to her as he managed to slink his way around the irritated ducklings, the equally irritated sailor-suited drake, confused Fethry and Storkules, before sidling up to Aaron, "What's say you and me head back to my place for some-?"

The ambitious young CEO never got to finish his sentence as he was plucked off the ground, everyone looking up to see Beaks being hoisted by his jacket by none other than Gizmoduck.

"I heard the commotion and thought I would check it out. But it seems that my friend here has done yet another good job," the mechanical suited-drake smiled proudly and warmly at the young Kree before turning to stare down the social media obsessed avian. "I'll deal with this. Go back to enjoying your day."

As he flew away with a struggling Mark, Louie spoke up first with content and tired sigh, "Yup, it's been one of those days."

* * *

"Pretty good sparkling lemonade you made here, Mr. McDuck," Aaron chuckled to himself as he eyed the bottle with the Scottish drake's face on it before sighing. "Oh man, I really am exhausted if I'm talking to inanimate objects."

After the chaos had settled down and the seafaring drake had left with his beloved krill, Aaron had decided to go into The Sandbar for to relax. Thankfully, the manager and owner showed their gratitude by keeping away anybody who wished to talk or get a picture with him. He had settled for making a drink with freshly crushed blueberries, homemade mint syrup, and a cold bottle of _McDuck's Sparkling Lemonade_. He smiled as he saw the kids digging into the free buffalo chicken dip with white and blue corn chips that the owner insisted that they take.

As he took another sip, he was startled when Donald, who had been sitting in the corner with Storkules began approaching him, glass of orange ginger ale in hand. Upon sitting down, the humanoid offered his own plate of the hardy dip and crunchy chips out of politeness to which the sailor-suited drake gratefully took a few.

A nervous silence encompassed them until Donald let out a sigh and began, "Listen Aaron-,"

"I'm sorry," the young Kree said quickly, cutting off the uncle of three.

"What?" Donald said with confusion and dismay.

"I'm sorry for all the times I stepped over the line and made you uncomfortable," the auburn-haired young man said forlornly. "I just get so mad when people are mistreated like you and the kids were, I-!"

"Aaron, it's okay!" the short-tempered duck interrupted desperately with a begging tone. "I just wanted to say thank you. And that I'm the one who should be sorry."

Now it was Aaron's turn to be surprised as he stared and stuttered, "W-What?"

"I'm the one who should be sorry," Donald said with sincerity and regret. "You've been nothing but kind and selfless since you arrived and I've treated you worse than my families' enemies. It's just…I lost someone precious to my family a long time ago and when you came on the scene, I thought it was chance to get her back. But when I realized you didn't have the ability to do that, I guess I threw all my resentment at you to cope with the hopelessness. That wasn't right."

The young Kree stared at him for a few moments, processing what he was told, before smiling and reaching over to rub his shoulder, saying, "I forgive you."

Donald's head immediately shot up as he stared at the humanoid before smiling himself, "Thank you. I'm willing to be your friend if you still want me to be."

"I would very much like that," Aaron said with a bright grin that was returned.

Behind them, the benevolent Greek god and four ducklings were grinning happily as well.

* * *

Here's Chapter 6! Sorry it's long again! And yes, The Shore Shack is a reference to Nickelodeon's _Rocket Power_. The Beach and Bean is from one of my favorite cozy mystery series by Sarah Fox. And for those of you who know where Tank's from, I applaud you. As for who was the mysterious being and the object that Aaron saw, well let's say there's a little bit more crossover coming into this fic and its sequel. I won't say anything else for now!


	7. Chapter 7: Treasures and Dreams

Chapter 7: Treasures and Dreams

_Aaron blinked in confusion and utter disbelief as he gazed around the room._

_It was not the living area of the Cabrera house but instead his Terran childhood home from Earth M! And it looked exactly how it was before Mar-Vell put him into cryo-stasis, nonetheless! He should have felt some form of nostalgia or bittersweet joy but instead he felt…empty. It wasn't a cold empty but a sort of unsure empty, as though he was pondering on what to do a dull afternoon. _

_Slowly, he began to stride about the room, touching the furniture, remembering so many events that happened here. The sounds of birds chirping relaxed him, even though he couldn't see outside due to the drawn curtains. He recalled the first time he stepped foot on this carpet. He remembered when an elderly Terran neighbor, Mrs. Joanna, brought them cookies to welcome them to the neighborhood which led to him getting his first taste of chocolate. He remembered when Mar-Vell first gave him Nutmeg for his thirteenth birthday. He remembered spending a fall day baking pumpkin bread and sipping cider with-_

"_Aaron."_

_He nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard a voice call his name. It wasn't so much one voice as it was a chorus of voices whispering his name in unison. And it was coming from outside._

_Slowly, he began making his way towards the door, almost as if being drawn as the voices began chanting louder, "Aaron…Aaron…Aaron…"_

_As he slowly grabbed the door knob he took a deep breath, turned it, and then pushed it open-_

* * *

Aaron gasped as he bolted awake, chest heaving as he scanned the room and realized that he was indeed in the Cabrera house and he had only been a victim of some abstract dream. He finally felt his heartbeat lower back to normal as he heard a familiar soft mewl before Nutmeg jumped onto the foot of his bed.

"Hey girl," he smiled at before noticing something in her mouth. "You got something for me?"

As if on que, the female Flerken dropped it on his covered legs, revealing it to be a small keychain with a ship attached to it. A small replica of a Kree Starforce fighter ship. Mar-Vell had given it to him when she was teaching him to fly, claiming the ship was the model of the one his mother flew. He looked at it for a moment with a sad smile before reaching over to his house keys (Gloria had a copy to him a few days ago so he wouldn't always have to go for the hidden spare when he came come) and attached the space ship to them.

Although he had gotten up before his phone alarm rang, he couldn't find it in himself to go back to bed. Instead he got up, got dressed in a plaid button up shirt with a circle of stars sewn on the back, some black trousers, and cherry red sneakers. He then proceeded to the kitchen where he went to work making blueberry oatmeal pancakes with a cinnamon maple streusel while Nutmeg snacked away at some cat food. No sooner did he finish plating the pancakes then both police officer and blooming young scientists enter the kitchen.

"Sweetheart, you spoil us," the older Latina duck said kindly as she and her son sat down.

"Well, considering how well you guys have adjusted to Nutmeg and I staying in your home, I think it's only fair," the humanoid chuckled.

As they all sat down to eat, Fenton asked, "No sign of Beaks so far?"

"None," the young Kree nodded in confirmation. "By the way, you never told me what you said to him to get him to leave me alone."

The young Latino drake took big swig of his coffee, as he began slowly, "Well…"

* * *

_**Several days prior **_

"_Listen to me and listen close," Fenton growled as he glared down at the attention-seeking parrot through his Gizmoduck while cornering him in a dark alley. "You stay away from Aaron."_

_Beaks gulped as he eyed the phone that the mechanical-suited drake held away from the both of them, preventing the young ambitious CEO from calling for help or resorting to blackmail via recording the conversation. Fortunately for the young intern, today was the rare day which Mark forgot to pack spare phones._

"_You don't talk to him. You don't go near him. And you better believe I'm blocking you from contacting him on everything," the young Latino drake didn't let up. "Also, I'm telling Mr. McDuck so he makes sure you don't even try."_

"_C'mon, amigo. I can't do that. Starbright and I totally click," the social media-obsessed anthro tried but was quickly silenced._

"_My mother is a cop. A cop who remembers what you did," the blooming young scientists hissed. "And Aaron's gonna find out tonight when we tell him."_

_Smirking, Fenton, aka Gizmoduck, smirked victoriously, "That's right. I hope you got a good picture of him with your phone because that's how you'll only be seeing him up close from here on out."_

_With that, he dropped the phone back into a petrified Beak's hands before taking off, not looking back._

_**End **_

* * *

"Let's just say I set him straight," Fenton said in the most casual and calm tone.

The auburn-haired young man nodded while he swallowed his food before he lowered his gaze as he said, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys about him earlier. I thought he was just some overly flirtatious fan. I didn't know he did all of _that _stuff before I came here."

The humanoid couldn't stop his blood from running cold as he recalled the disturbing things that both mother and son had told him what had transpire months prior to his arrival. To think he had been _alone _with such a unpredictable narcissist.

"It's alright, Aaron," Gloria reassured in a tender tone. "We're just lucky we managed to get you away from that diablito before he could dig his claws into you."

"Remember, if you see him or hear from him, even if he's practically a mile away, call me or call M'ma," the young Latino drake said with firm reassurance.

Aaron nodded as they began talking about other things while finishing up their breakfast. Once they finished and cleared the table, all three began to head for the door to start their day, a familiar gagging noise interrupted them.

"I'll go handle it, you guys go ahead," Aaron said as he turned around to see what the cat-like creature had coughed up.

"Do you want us to wait for you?" Cabrera matriarch inquired softly.

"No, I got it," the auburn-haired young man reassured. "Besides, I don't want you guys to be late."

Nodding, though seeming reluctant, both young intern and police officer left as Aaron tended to Nutmeg. Picking her up, he got a good look at what she had surrendered from her pocket dimensions and his eyes widened. A familiar metallic square pad, but the Kree writing on it was something that Aaron could never forget. Picking it up, he quickly went to his room and placed it one of the drawers before shutting it.

When his furry companion uttered a yowl of question, he looked at her and said quietly, "I'm just not ready. See you after work, cutie."

With that he placed her back on the ground, petting her head, before leaving.

* * *

Personally, Aaron found that Starducks was no different from a similarly named coffeeshop chain from his birth dimension which he somewhat found comforting. He did find it humorous how the kids, Fenton, and even Gyro, the workaholic king of caffeine consumption, warned him of the impending "Pumpkin Spice Takeover" come fall. Currently, he was venturing to the nearby Starducks to grab a little something for himself and Lorraine, his new co-worker who was temporarily filling in for Ariel.

Stepping into the shop, he breathed in the sharp but comforting smell of coffee and baked goods and the sight of people talking to each other or typing away at their electronics. Getting in line, he curiously scrolled through his phone and news notification. Curious, he opened it and began to read;

_Reports of unusual power outages and weather patterns in Brazil were coupled with accounts of a mysterious figure lurking near the suburbs. Witnesses claimed that the figure was some sort of armored demon with squarish features. However, with no physical or visual evidence except for blurry images, skepticism is at a high point among law enforcement and-_

"Hello, make I take your order?" a polite male voice inquired.

Shooting to look up from his phone, Aaron realized he was now at the counter, causing him to blush as he put away his phone and spoke to the barista, who was a male canine anthro with dark brown fur and black hair, "Yes, I would like one grande Mocha Frappuccino, a grande medium roast, a slice of iced lemon loaf cake, and a chocolate chip cookie. My name is Aaron."

"Gotcha, man!" the barista nodded with a grin as he took the card (which Scrooge and Flurry helped the young Kree get along with setting up a bank account) while Aaron dropped a nice tip in the jar.

"Thank you," the humanoid said with a smile as he took his card back and walked to side to await his order.

No sooner did he step away did he hear what sounded like arguing coming from the back of the coffeehouse. But what's more is that, listening closer despite subconscious protests, was that one of the voices was very familiar. Following the sound, he turned a small corner and saw none other than Zan Owlson sitting at a table, arms cross with an extremely frustrated scowl on her face as she stared down the other person she was talking with. It was a male duck anthro who looked to be much older than her with monocles, not unlike Scrooge, and a gray beard. He had a hefty build and wore a kilt, a Scottish cap, spats (again, not unlike Scrooge), a brown vest, and a blue jacket.

"Zan?" the young Kree said loud enough for the female owl to hear.

Owlson's head shot up as she turned to look at him before smiling, "Aaron? Oh my gosh, it's been days! How have you been?"

"I've been good. Just here picking a little something up for my co-worker and I," the auburn-haired young man replied with equal friendliness before turning to the older anthro, only to be surprised that the unfamiliar party was glaring him down with a look of pure rage and disgust.

"This is my employer, Flintheart Glomgold, CEO of Glomgold Industries," the amicable professional said with a polite smile though her tone sounded uneasy. "Mr. Glomgold, this is Aaron Vellvett. He-"

"I know who he is!" the greedy drake shouted in a loud and aggravated voice. "He's the _freak_ who's being looked after by Scrooge and the rest of his craven kin!"

The auburn-haired young man drew back as if Glomgold had physically slapped him. Not only did he instantly feel hurt and insulted by the word but he was startled by the crooked CEO's accent, which was also Scottish like the richest duck in Duckburg. Aaron should have guessed but he didn't want to assume just on clothing alone. He looked to see that Zan, along with nearly everyone in the coffeehouse, staring at them in shock and horror.

"I-I beg your pardon?" the young Kree stuttered as politely as he could, but he knew that it was no fluke.

"You heard me, you hairless ape!" Glomgold screamed.

"Mr. Glomgold, please!" the female owl begged while shooting the humanoid apologetic glances. "Aaron Vellvett is a respected, and new, figure here in Duckburg. He has done great tasks-!"

"To help Scrooge look better!" the greedy drake yelled, continuing to abuse the auburn-haired young man. "He's associated with Scrooge for one reason and one reason only; to strengthen his status of being "better" than me!"

By this point, Aaron was bewildered and angry, wanting nothing more than to either defend himself or run from his situation but found his feet glued to the floor and his voice fail him as the aggressive duck pointed and shouted at him.

"Listen here, _Vellvett_," Glomgold spat the name like it was poison. "You tell Scrooge-!"

"Tell me what, Flinty?"

Everyone whirled around to see the CEO of McDuck Enterprises himself and Beakley, both glaring daggers at Glomgold, daring him to say more. In fact, several of the other people in the Starducks were glaring at the second-place business founder and, by some extent, the female owl.

Turning his attention on his main rival, Glomgold opened his mouth to deliver another nasty dialogue, "Tell you that you-!"

"You have good tastes in company," Owlson quickly intervened as she clamped her hand around her boss's beak while wrapping an arm around his shoulders tightly to keep him still, shooting a strain smile at everyone. "It was nice to see you Mr. McDuck but we really must be going!"

All the eldest duck could do was nod icily as the female owl practically shoved her struggling and muffled shouting captive outside but before looking Aaron in the eyes with her sincerest look and mouthing, "I'm so sorry."

Once they were gone, the coffeehouse descended into an atmosphere of uncomfortable silence before Scrooge spoke in a fatherly tone to Aaron, "Are you alright, lad?"

The young Kree, who's eyes had been wide and mouth slightly agape during the whole moment, blinked and closed his mouth before saying in a low voice, "I think so."

"Order for Aaron," the familiar voice of the barista called out.

The humanoid quickly strode over and grabbed his items when the male canine handed him two more while sympathetically saying, "Extra cookies on the house. You didn't deserve what that snob said to you."

"Thank you," Aaron said gratefully, still too stunned to even object to the kind offering.

As both older anthros and humanoid left the coffeehouse, Beakley spoke, "We wanted to check on you incase that Mark Beaks character was trying to follow you. Looks like we were right to do so even if the problem didn't involve him."

"I barely said anything to the guy and he just started in on me," the auburn-haired young man murmured in disbelief. "What did I do?"

"You did nothing, Aaron" the Scottish drake soothed before saying firmly. "That's just Glomgold's nature to go after anyone he sees doing better and being better than him."

"But I'm not rich or powerful," the young Kree insisted.

Both ducks smiled kindly and calmly as the undauntable housekeeper replied, "Maybe not in wealth or social status but in respect and morality you are."

Aaron blinked in surprise as he began smiling and blushing gratefully before it quickly disappeared as he vented angrily, "I just can't believe that someone as nice as Zan could work for a tyrant like him."

"That's a question that she has probably asked herself everyday," the richest duck in Duckburg muttered. "But Owlson has decided who to be, regardless of who she's associated with. And who knows? Maybe she'll go off to make her own company."

"I hope so," the young Kree stated sincerely. "You're not gonna tell Officer Cabrera or Fenton, will you? I don't want them to worry."

"They'll probably find out on their own," the eldest duck said with an apologetic smile. "They only worry because they care about you."

"They do?" the humanoid said startled then realized how it came out. "Don't get me wrong! I know they're protective of me but…sometimes I feel I don't deserve it."

Both anthros looked at him with concern as he continued, "I haven't told them all about me. The major stuff but not the minor stuff or the most personal stuff. And I'm afraid how they'll react."

Soft, serene smiles spread over both older anthros faces before Scrooge spoke, "Sometimes, the cards we dealt are the best ones we can ever get."

All the auburn-haired young man could do was blink in confusion and thoughtfulness.

"You'll understand soon enough," the retired agent reassured.

With that, Aaron headed back to work, the words of wisdom floating around his brain as he tried to sort through them.

* * *

Aaron would come to better understand Scrooge's words a couple days later. Once again wanting to spend a little time with Webby and the boys, Aaron had come to the mansion in the late morning bearing a plate full of cherry chocolate chip cookies. Just as he was about to knock, the humanoid was startled by the sound of crashing which normally would not be a problem if he heard the triplets arguing. But all he heard was the deathly crash which sent an urgent alarm through his body. Quickly, he snuck around to the window of the kitchen that would lead to the TV room, knowing how sometimes it was unlocked incase someone got shut outside.

Using his stealth, he crept through the window and quietly made his way to the door where, after setting the cookies down, he threw it open.

No sooner had he done that was a sword pointed in his face.

"D'jinn, stop!" Scrooge, who was safe and present alongside his grandnephews and surrogate grandniece, shouted quickly. "It's alright! He's a friend!"

The owner of the sword, D'jinn, was a jackal clothed in black robes and a black Arabian head scarf with red stock shoes. He eyed the young Kree suspiciously before relaxing and lowering his sword. It was not until Aaron saw the ducklings, the triplets looking relieved if a bit shaken and Webby looking quite happy, all unharmed that he finally relaxed.

However, catching sight of the destroyed furniture brought back some of that alarm, and despite knowing who the culprit was, asked, "What happened in here?"

The Scottish drake was quick, too quick to answer, "D'jinn got a bit upset because a lamp I had, which turns out belongs to his family, was stolen. Now it's on Ithaquack."

"Storkules's home?" the auburn-haired young man rhetorically inquired with confusion.

"Yup," the eldest duck said once again in a strained, too-quick voice.

"You are familiar with this Ithaquack?" the Arabian male jackal questioned in a stern, curious voice which was light but sharp to match his young and experienced status.

"I have heard about it from the prince of the Greek gods, yes," Aaron replied, his voice falling into a tone of firm professionalism as he recalled the get together with Donald and Storkules at the latter's encouraging request.

"Are you a warrior?" D'jinn continued to interrogate insistently.

Webby was quick to answer for the young Kree, "He sure is!"

"Then he will be coming with us to Ithaquack, yes?" the intimidating swordsman persisted, eyes still set on the humanoid.

Aaron was about to object when he saw the pleading looks on the faces of the four kids and one elder and felt his resolve give as he said coolly, "Yes, I will. I have no other obligations."

That last one was true as he and everybody else who worked at Duckburg's Youth Driver's Ed were given a sudden unusual break. It started yesterday when one of the more delinquent students, thankfully not one who Aaron had been assigned to, crashed their car into the side of the building. No one was hurt but it was decided that everyone should get a day or two off to calm down and allow the repairs to be done, which weren't too serious.

"Good, we have a powerful ally to help us on our quest," D'jinn remarked in a satisfied voice without smiling before heading to the door that would lead to the front of the mansion. "We leave at once."

As soon as the Arabian male jackal was out the door, Aaron quickly spoke to the kids, "I brought cookies. They're in the kitchen. Dig in while I talk to your Uncle Scrooge."

The kids were already dashing for the kitchen, both for the cookies and they knew better than to listen in when Aaron was talking privately with one of the adults of the manor.

"What's this about a lamp?" the young Kree finally asked in a confused and curious tone.

The richest duck in Duckburg let out a heavy sigh of exasperation and annoyance as he explained, "Louie had a little yard sale where he sold D'jinn's lamp, the Lamp of the First Genie which belongs to his family. You, Webby, and I are just gonna take him to Ithaquack to keep him busy while I have the boys track down that darn lamp. I'm sorry I dragged you into this, lad."

"Well, it's just as my fault for dropping by unannounced," the auburn-haired young man sighed. "I'll contact Gloria and Fenton to tell them I'm helping you with a task that will take awhile."

"Thank you, Aaron. I'll be sure to pay you back for this," Scrooge nodded sincerely before he left mumbling about putting locks on some of his treasure and artifact rooms.

Sighing himself, the young Kree took out his phone and began to text in a group chat to the Cabreras;

_Helping Mr. McDuck with some private matters in regards to new acquaintance. I won't be home possibly all day and may come in late. I promise to do my best to stay safe. Please don't worry yourselves sick. I'll see you guys soon._

After a moment, he added a heart emoticon and pressed sent.

* * *

Aaron was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he did not pay any mind to Launchpad's flying or D'jinn's curious stares. All he could do was stare at his phone as he stared at the texts he got back in return.

From Gloria: _I'm holding you to that promise, honey. See you soon._

From Fenton: _Be careful, amigo. Stay strong!_

Gloria's text ended with a heart whereas Fenton's had ended with a thumbs up. Regardless, both replies made Aaron smile and his heart twist with warmth and guilt. He was only torn from his inner struggles when the Sunchaser landed. Stepping out, his breath was taken away upon setting his sights on the Greek island known as Ithaquack. The sandy shore and crystal waves were even more spectacular than those of Duckburg Beach. The green landscapes and rocky formations added a slightly surreal beauty to it. And the Greek architecture was truly fit for the gods, everything made of the finest marble, metal, and wood with gorgeous temples and sculptures.

Following the intimidating swordsman and eldest duck out of the plane and up the grassy slopes, they entered an enormous, grand sculpted temple. Once inside, the darkness that greeted them lasted for only a few moments before Webby lit up the room by setting fire in a medium cauldron on a marble pedestal.

"So, you seek the lamp, huh?" the bubblegum-clothed duckling inquired in a slightly foreboding and challenging tone.

D'jinn merely nodded.

"The gods of old bring only the noblest heroes to the temple as a final test of their merits before rewarding them with the spoils," the female duckling spoke, keeping her tone as she led the three older males further into the temple. "Each chamber will be a trial. Every trial hard than the last."

As she said that last one, all four found themselves in large room with an equally large and deep body of water. The smell of the ancient building mixed with sea water reminded Aaron of the coves he used to explore at the beach when he was a kid. Suddenly, a large brown mass broke through the water's peaceful surface. Several tentacles whipped around as five red eyes glared down at them and mouth full of teeth with the sharpness of swords growled at them. If it hadn't been for all the things Aaron experienced and the plan Webby and Scrooge had discussed with him, he was certain he would have been taken off guard.

"Who dare wake me from my infernal slumber?!" he demon of the deep began to roar before a quizzical, lost look appeared on his face. "Uh, what poor excuse for a hero believes he has what it takes to contain mighty Charybdis?!"

Unbeknown to D'jinn, Webby was making gestures to instruct Charybdis on what to say. Aaron was both impressed and stunned by the retired spy's granddaughter's focus of ensuring the so-called quest went off without a hitch. It actually made him feel some sort of form of brotherly pride.

When she gave the signal for Scrooge to start speaking, the richest duck in Duckburg said while looking at the writing on his palm, "I-It is us, Scrooge, D'jinn, and Aaron! Have at ye ya multi-armed monstrosity!"

After lightly smacking Charybdis with his cane, though D'jinn though it was a defiant act of courage, the sea monster grabbed the eldest duck and lifted in, the Scottish drake yelled out in a insulted voice that the humanoid could tell was fake, "Ah, no! You blasted beast!"

Then proceeded to pretend to slam Scrooge into the wall, creating a sizable dent with his tentacles before dropping the world's greatest adventurer behind a large piece of debris, making it appear as though his "captive" had been taken out.

It was no surprise to the young Kree when the Arabian male jackal angrily turned to Charybdis and snarled, "You have dispatched one of my most loyal and chivalrous allies! You shall pay!"

With that said, D'jinn promptly pulled out a sling and rock, put the latter in the former, swung it around, and projected the stone into one of the creature's eyes, causing Charybdis to let out a shout of pain as he rubbed the offended eye, "Hey! I wasn't done with my scene!"

"For the lamp!" the intimidating swordsman screamed in fury, swinging another rock as he charged forward.

As Aaron was about to join the semi-faked fight, he heard someone his, "Pssst!"

He turned around to see a female avian anthro peeking from the outside of the entrance. She had bleach blonde hair that reached down to her ankles which went wonderfully with her dreamy soft blue gown. Her only accessories were a bronze tiara like headpiece with bracelets not unlike those that Storkules wore. The auburn-haired young man had an idea who she was.

Approaching her carefully and stealthily so as not to alert D'jinn, he stopped a foot away as he spoke, "Hello."

Grinning excitedly, she whispered, "Hi, I'm Selene. You must be Aaron! My brother had said so much about you in his letters! I'm starting to think he worships you as he does Donald!"

"Well, I'm flattered," Aaron smiled as he nodded sincerely. "He's told me a lot about you as well and how you guys know the duck family."

A slightly stunned and apprehensive look graced itself over her face as she tentatively asked, "He has? I mean, of course he has! We've all known each other for so long! I was just wondering if he-?"

They were interrupted as the guardian of the temple let out a roar followed by another proclamation of pain as D'jinn continued his relentless and merciless attacks.

"We'll talk another time," the Moon goddess said quickly before hurrying to where Scrooge was pretending to be unconscious.

Activating his wings to go and help the Arabian male jackal "fight" the creature who, despite the very real pain being put on him by the intimidating swordsman, managed to pretend to get his tentacles in a knot with his flying maneuvers while delivering some "punches". A twist here, a fake-out there. He had to wince as D'jinn tied two of poor Charybdis's tentacles in a not for real.

Finally, the poor tormented creature of Greek legend cried out, "I give! I give!"

Both young Kree and Arabian male jackal retreated as they landed beside Webby who had been watching, and wincing, at the whole scenario.

"I thank you Charybdis for the journey," D'jinn said as he pulled out a scroll, one that Aaron had seen him look through many times during the flight to Ithaquack, and began inscribing in it. "And honor your roll in the legend of the lamp."

"We have to keep stalling," Scrooge hissed as he came over to stand beside Aaron and Webby. "What now?"

"We're going to Appendix B," Webby said with determination.

Before Aaron could ask what Appendix B meant, something wrapped around his ankles and the sensation of sinking. Looking down, he felt his heart stop as he saw a swirling blue and purple vortex in which he was calf-deep in and going.

"Uh, guys," he said in a loud tone as he kept any anxiety under control.

Upon seeing what was happening the three anthros let out cries of surprise before launching forward as they began trying to pull the auburn-haired young man out to no avail.

"Aaron!" Webby cried as she was losing her grip.

"Hang on, my friend!" D'jinn said with determination as he pulled with the most ferocity.

They might as well as have been standing by and watching because the young Kree was gone seconds later, the vortex having succeeded in swallowing him whole before disappearing in a cloudy vapor.

"No!" the bubblegum-clothed duckling gasped as she landed on her rear.

"What happened?!" the intimidating swordsman roared with anger as he looked around viciously, as though the culprit of the humanoid's disappearance would show themselves.

Selene, who was still hiding, hid herself further in the rubble as she said in an intimidating, echoing, voice, "YOU MAY HAVE DEFEATED CHARYBDIS, BUT NOW YOU WILL HAVE TWO MORE PRIZES TO SEEK. THE LAMP AND YOUR COMPANION. SUCCEED AND BOTH SHALL RETURN TO YOU. FAIL, AND THEY WILL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY AGAIN!"

"Accursed temple!" D'jinn snapped. "I will claim what is rightfully mine and rescue the honorable Aaron!"

He then proceeded to stride out of the room while both the Scottish drake and the retired spy's daughter looked to where Selene was hiding. Seeing her giving them a reassuring smile soothed them, but truly, they would not be content until Aaron came back and the whole thing was over.

* * *

Aaron gasped as he sat up, eyes shooting open, only to be greeted with something entirely unexpected.

He was currently sitting in what seemed like a never-ending body of water that, surprisingly, didn't feel wet at all. It was as if it was some illusion. The "water" itself was colored an opaque lavender. A cluster of lights the size of golf balls floated around him like fireflies in a pale indigo sky.

"Webby? Scrooge? D'jinn? Selene? Anyone?" he called out, the echoes doing little to stop the slowly rising panic from the silence.

Slowly getting up, the water coming off as quick and clean as bedsheet covers, he began to walk around, examining his surroundings. He immediately took a step back when a slew of marble steps arose from the water and levitated to form an ethereal staircase.

The humanoid looked at them carefully before sighing, "To heck with it."

As he stepped onto the first platform, he was startled when it emitted the sweet sound of birds chirping. While it surprised him, he didn't dare remove his foot as the sounds soothed the anxiety that was almost boiling over inside of him. Taking another step brought the sound of a trickling creek. Another brought the sound of a breeze rustling the leaves. Going up brought different sounds; wind chimes, ocean waves, rain, the clopping of horse hooves, popping noises, violin music. As weird as it was, he was glad that the silence had ended. He was so focused on the sweet noises that he didn't care to look where he was going until he reached the location.

"Whoa," was all he could say.

The auburn-haired young man was currently standing at the entrance of a medium sized temple that looked to be made of mother-of-pearl and smelled of honey and roses. Like the steps, it was levitated above the pseudo-waters below and rested on a plane of velvety indigo clouds against a dark iris colored sky. He walked through the halls, taking in the pieces of art that were both familiar and unfamiliar. But what really caught his attention was what, or rather _who_, was at the end.

A tall male raven wearing a wine-colored silk tunic and bronze bracelets with bronze sandals and a silver amulet with a blue violet gem in the middle. He appeared to be just a bit taller than Selene but shorter than Storkules. Currently, the mysterious anthro was fiddling with some sort of white stone that Aaron was unfamiliar with.

Suddenly, in a cool and gentle voice, the mysterious raven spoke without looking at the young Kree, "Hello, Aaron. It's nice to make your acquaintance."

"Y-You know me?" Aaron inquired in awe.

"Yes. I've been waiting awhile to meet you. I've been wondering when that Scrooge McDuck and his family would finally bring you by Ithaquack," the stranger chuckled dryly. "I've been waiting to meet you for quite a while. Did you like the steps? I know you have issues with utter silence."

"First, I am flattered. Second, yes. Third, how did you know that? And Fourth, who are you?" Aaron asked immediately.

"I know everything. Or at least, everything that goes on in a person's head," the mysterious raven continued. "Does the name Morpheus mean anything?"

"Greek god of dreams," the young Kree said as his eyes widened in realization. "You've seen my dreams?"

Nodding, Morpheus spoke, "They're quite strange but enjoyable. They're filled with life, pain, happiness, and misery. A perfect blend. But I'm not here to brag to you like some food connoisseur. I'm here to talk about one particular dream. One you recently had."

"Oh," Aaron said, wincing when he realized which dreams the dream deity was talking about. "That one I haven't really understood what it means."

"Now that's a lie," Morpheus chuckled.

"You're right," the young Kree laughed in spite of himself before his smile faded. "I guess I've just been pushing it to the back of my mind."

"You want to free yourself from the past, but you don't want to forget all the people who hold a place in your heart," the mysterious raven said as the humanoid nodded the whole time, "And yet you want to embrace all the new people you care about, but you fear that history will repeat itself and you will lose them or have to said goodbye. But what you must understand is that you don't need to stay stuck in the past or leave it behind. Though you must brace the future, having reminders of the past should empower you, not weaken you."

"Does psychology and dream reading always come this naturally to you?" the auburn-haired young man asked with tired smile which earned him a laugh from the dream deity.

"Well, in a matter of speaking. I don't do it often but I when someone needs to accept their what their dreams are telling them," Morpheus continued with a wise smile. "Though, you're the first I pulled into the dream realm while they're wide awake."

"Guess I really did need your intervention, huh?" Aaron said as he gave an embarrassed smile.

"Indeed, you did," the dream deity confirmed with a nod. "And I know you must be going but before you leave, I would like to offer you something."

He gestured to the unknown black of stone, as if he was offering a refreshment. Aaron reached out towards it with his right hand and was once again surprised as it went through the seemingly solid surface. He looked at the mysterious raven who just nodded encouragingly. The young Kree waded his hand through the stone before pulling it back to reveal a solid sphere that was made of the iridescent white material and was the size of a ping pong ball. It then began shifting until it turned into an exact carbon copy of the star sigil on his chest.

"Thank you," the auburn-haired young man said sincerely with a serene smile.

Morpheus only nodded with a similar smile of his own before a flash of purple light enveloped him.

* * *

Upon opening his eyes, Aaron saw he was outside the temple he and the three anthros entered a while ago. He opened his right hand to see that the star-shaped stone was still there.

"Aaron!" a familiar female voice cried out.

He turned to the temple entrance to see both ducks and jackal running towards him, Webby wrapping her arms around his legs. Though still stunned, the humanoid couldn't help but hug back.

"We were getting real nervous, lad," Scrooge piped up.

"Thank goodness for your safe return, my friend," D'jinn said with relief.

"Did you get the lamp?" Aaron asked.

The intimidating swordsman frowned angrily, "It was stolen by the wicked Ma Beagle. We must return to Duckburg at once!"

He did not see the exasperation on the young Kree's face or the winces on either duckling or eldest duck's faces.

Aaron couldn't help but scowl in utter resentment and stress at the horde of sleeping or preoccupied Beagle Boys as he and the other six anthros ventured through the junkyard. No state would ever make any of the thugs look harmless in his eyes. Despite Scrooge's insistence that they wait for an opportunity, D'jinn was not having it.

"But I examined it!" the Scottish drake protested. "The lamp had no powers!"

"Did you examine it on the Ifrit's Dawn?" the Arabian male jackal asked urgently but patiently.

"Well, no," Scrooge muttered sheepishly.

"Why? What is the Infrit's Dawn?" the humanoid inquired with alarm.

He was given no answer as Huey jumped in, "We need to find a way to sneak in without tipping them off and then-"

"Treacherous Beagles!" D'jinn exclaimed in rage as he stood on top of the mass they were hiding behind. "Hand over the lamp!"

"Oh no," the young Kree mumbled as he face-palmed and look to see that, indeed, D'jinn had succeeded in waking up the whole horde who now wore looks of confusion and anger.

"What is his garbage distracting me from my garbage?!" a familiar, harsh female voice shouted as Ma Beagle emerged from her trailer.

Aaron reached down to stroke Dewey's head, who was currently gripping onto his leg, as sighed sarcastically, "Yeah, this situation just got a _lot _better!"

The argument between the Beagle matriarch and the intimidating swordsman until D'jinn mentioned "genie." That's when the junkyard flew into chaos.

And it didn't get any better when she spotted the auburn-haired young man and screamed, "It's that brat who put me and my boys behind bars."

"And it's there you're going back," Aaron snapped as he jumped before delivering a swift blow to a charging Beagle Boy that had gotten too close to their spot.

The head of the crime family went into her trailer before reappearing in her trademark clothes, shouting, "If it's in my junkyard and someone threw it out, it belongs to me."

The shocked and hurt look that manifested onto the intimidating swordsman's face stung Aaron's heart a bit, especially when he looked at the humanoid and the five other anthros, "Throw it away? Who would have-? And what of our quest?"

The young Kree felt the words catch in his throat as he felt shame creep into every crevice and looking at the others, he knew they felt the same.

When he was not given an answer immediately, he continued, "Has this all been a charade? A false quest to keep me from the truth? That you cast aside the lamp as garbage."

"I'm sorry! We didn't know the lamp was a big deal!" Louie burst out in a pleading, apologetic tone before gesturing to his granduncle. "Uncle Scrooge tells us nothing."

For a moment, D'jinn was still and looked to be in deep thought, which made Aaron fear he would have to grab the others and leap away faster than a jumping spider, when the Arabian male jackal unsheathed his sword and jumped down towards the Beagles, shouting, "For the lamp!"

Soon the junkyard was in chaos. Try as he might to stay close to the richest duck in Duckburg and the kids, the auburn-haired young man found himself separate from them as he faced an onslaught of Beagle Boys. Punches, kicks, and flips were thrown, with the occasional tossing one Beagle Boy into one of their brothers. All the while, they screamed how they would make him pay for what he did to the poster trio and how they would gladly "paint the junkyard blue with his freak blood" after they were done with the kids.

That alone was the Beagles' undoing as Aaron went from subduing to downright laying siege on the criminal family, thrashing and throwing threats. He didn't know how long he was fighting for but it was most likely all night as he saw the first few pinks, purples, and oranges of dawn creep upon the sky like when a child slowly put their paint brush in a cup of water. He only stopped when he heard Ma Beagle's witch-like cries of victory.

Tossing away a Beagle Boy he had knocked into unconsciousness, he looked to see his friends staring at the older female Beagle rubbing furiously and impatiently at the lamp.

"What gives?" she snapped as she futilely fiddled with the brass lamp. " Where's the magic? The genie?! The wishes?!"

Aaron's confusion turned to astonishment when D'jinn, the stoic and ruthless D'jinn, burst into laughter.

For a moment, the auburn-haired young man feared the Arabian male jackal had snapped, when D'jinn finally spoke, voice laced with pure amusement, "Is that what she thought? An actual living genie _inside_ the lamp? You took that literally?"

"You said it would be devastating in the wrong hands!" the world's greatest adventurer protested.

"Yes, devastating to me personally," D'jinn continued, still smiling. "It's a precious family heirloom."

"And the Ifrit's Dawn?" the red-clothed duckling probed quizzically.

"It's my birthday," the intimidating swordsman explained, taking out his scroll and showing them a picture of him holding the lamp. "And I can't think of no finer gift."

"All this time, we were just hunting down your B-Day gift?" Aaron inquired, feeling ready to punch a certain jackal's lights out.

"So why did we do any of this?" the green-clothed duckling snapped.

"The story of the lamp goes back centuries," D'jinn began nostalgically. "Back in olden times, my great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother discovered a lamp at a bazaar. After accidentally rubbing it, a genie did in fact emerge. Instead of asking for wishes, my grandmother befriended this lively, impish fellow. And they fell in love. When it came time to wish, my grandmother made just one; to free her love. Though he no longer had any magic, he granted her every wish as a devoted husband. Just like this lamp, the true treasure was in her journey. And now after centuries of searching, my family has finally reclaimed the totem that started it all."

By the end of the story, Aaron no longer felt anger or shame but rather a sort of happiness and awe. Looking at the sweetly smiling faces of Scrooge and his family, he knew they felt the same.

Ma Beagle, on the other hand, did not as she angrily announced, "Enough! Time to trash this piece of junk!"

She never got the chance as one of D'jinn's arrows snagged it before he pulled it and caught it expertly, smiling victoriously before snarling at the beaten and exhausted Beagle Boys, "Anyone else wish to test me on my birthday?"

Immediately he was given a slew of head shakes and refusals before all seven left the junkyard, Ma Beagle's mutters about being stuck with "bozo brats" fading as they made their distance.

* * *

"My friend, you look burdened," D'jinn said as he noticed Aaron taking small bites of the cake (which was incredibly delicious for a simple vanilla and raspberry birthday cake).

"What you said about family made me realize how little I have shared with the people who have been my family since I first came here," the auburn-haired young man explained. "And it's not that I don't want to tell them. I…I just want to keep this chance of holding onto the people I love."

"We cannot foresee the future or change the past, good Aaron," the intimidating swordsman said comfortingly. "But we do have control over how we live our present. And you should make it an enjoyable experience."

Aaron thought for a moment before smiling, "Thank you, D'jinn. And have a happy birthday. I wish there was something else I could give you."

"This quest, even though it was false, and the friendship and I have with you and Scrooge's family is enough for me," the Arabian male jackal said which made Aaron's smile grow more.

After D'jinn left, the young Kree prepared to return to the Cabreras when Webby came up to him and asked, "What happened when you got pulled through that vortex?"

"Long story short; I made a new friend and figured an answer too something I had been asking myself for a long time," the auburn-haired young man merely said before ruffling her hair and heading to the door, not seeing the curious and determined smile on her face.

* * *

Aaron honestly didn't know what to expect when he stepped into the house. Emptiness, scoldings, or even Nutmeg jumping on him. He never could have predicted that the moment he opened the door to be rushed by both Gloria and Fenton as they hugged him tightly.

"Thank goodness you're safe," the Cabrera Matriarch sighed with shaky relief. "I thought something had happened."

"One of M'ma's coworkers picked up some Beagle Boys who were pretty banged up," the young intern added, sounding relieved, concerned, and curious. "When they mentioned your name, we assumed the worse."

It suddenly hit the young Kree that he had not texted them since the day before, guilt sweeping over him more than when D'jinn found out about the false quest, which made him quickly say "I'm so sorry! I just got so wrapped up with helping Mr. McDuck! I should have called! That was my stupid mistake."

"You're home now," the older Latina duck hushed motherly. "That's all that matters."

They were interrupted when they heard a loud, "Meow!"

The two anthros and one humanoid turned to see Nutmeg with a metal pad, the same one that Aaron had put away, now at her feet.

"What is that?" the young Latino drake inquired in confusion.

Stepping further into the house, Aaron picked up the pad, staring at it attentively before turning to them with a shy smile, "You guys wanna see some pictures?"

* * *

"Aw, how cute!" the Cabrera matriarch cooed as they looked at the holographic old picture of a young teen Aaron smiling while holding a baby Skrull who was staring about with wide eyes.

"That's Tolma," the young Kree chuckled. "Daughter of Skrull General, Talos. Mar-Vell helped deliver her after her mother, Soren, came to hide with the other refugees."

Swiping the holograph, Fenton's mouth dropped open when he saw a picture depicting a sixteen-year-old Aaron standing beside a complicated, extraterrestrial looking contraption, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yup, that's the light speed engine," the humanoid smiled with a hint of bitter-sweetness which was overruled by his warmth. "We were both so proud of the accomplishments we made, knowing how they would help people."

"Honey, that's wonderful," Gloria cooed.

"Did you know that Vellvett was inspired by my godmother's name and the first Terran child's picture book I read?" the auburn-haired young man said, confidence growing. "It was called _The Velveteen Rabbit_."

"Whoa, really? We have a book with that same title here!" the blooming young scientist put in. "I bet you they're the exact same!"

"I'm sure they are," Aaron nodded. "Gotta see if that can dig it up later."

Gloria proceeded to swipe again and she and her son both froze. It was another baby picture of Aaron but one they realized was much more precious than all the previous ones. This one displayed him as a baby, maybe a couple of months old, being held by two other Kree, one male and the other female. The woman had the same hair and eyes as the young Kree, which added to her already breath-taking beauty, and wore a suit not unlike Aaron's. While similar in color to the colors he was first wearing upon arrival, her star sigil was shaped quite differently. The man had dark black hair, pale violet eyes, and looked like an older version of Aaron though with some slight facial hair. He wore clothes that seemed almost Earth-like but the big eye-grabber was his sapphire blue skin.

"Aaron, are those your-," Fenton began but could not finish.

"Yes, those are my parents," Aaron nodded with some solemnity. "My father, Vahn-Korr, and my mother, Meer-Rah. I wasn't lying when I mentioned that half the population of Hala have unique skin colors."

"Your parents look gorgeous," the police officer murmured in awe.

"Thank you," the humanoid said before adding. "I didn't know whether or not to show you this because…It's still hard. I can barely remember them and yet I always feel this pain when I think about them. And I didn't want either of you two thinking I was comparing you to feel inferior to the family I lost."

"Aaron, we know you would never do that," the young intern said gently.

"And it's okay to miss people," the Cabrera matriarch jumped in. "Nothing can replace them and it's okay to make room in your heart for others, like us. We just want you to know we understand and we're here if you whenever you need us."

The auburn-haired young man stared at them, shaking a bit, before pulling them close into another hug, "That's all I wanted to hear."

As they hugged, Fenton's elbow grazed the pad, causing another swipe that drew their attention. And upon seeing the new picture, Aaron's eyes widened as he blushed. The picture depicted him as he looked now with a girl who looked to be a year younger. She had wavy brown hair passed her shoulder, blue eyes that shined like sunlight on a clear lake, skin just a bit lighter than Aaron's, and a rebellious smile. The two were sitting on a porch, holding ice cream cones. The picture Aaron wore a long-sleeved, orange V-neck with tiger on it with some jeans while the girl wore a short-sleeved peach-colored blouse with skirt that was white with a rose motif.

"Who is that?" the blooming young scientist asked as he stared at the picture.

"A Terran friend of mine," the young Kree said shyly. "First one I made, actually. Like I said, the Terran of my universe looked very similar to the Kree but with red blood and no members with blue skin except for the ones who painted it on themselves for events."

Catching sight of the blue blush, the older Latina duck smiled knowingly at the young intern as she asked, "What was your friend's name?"

"Her name was Kayla," Aaron said without thinking as he allowed himself to smiling fondly. "Kayla Silverfox."

* * *

Happy 4th of July! Here's Chapter 7! And yes, there is a bit of past OCxKayla Silverfox! It'll fit in to the sequel fic and future fics. Like I said, this is an AU *dodges angry WolverineXSilverfox fans.* The Kayla Silverfox for my universe(s) has a different take that I will reveal in the sequel coming this summer. Sorry it took so long, got other fics I want to get up this month and books I wanna read! Also had to help family prepare for 4th of July! And who is the mysterious figure? Well, let's just say that robot lovers and people who are fans of a certain webcomic by a particular author *coughs* bioatomic *coughs* prepare for another AU crossover which will also have a fic of its own starting this summer. And yes, I did give a name to Talos's daughter. Also, the keychain ship is a model of the one Maria Rambeau and Fury used in the movie to help the Skrull and kill Minn-Erva. Hope you enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8: New Friends, Odd and Odder

Chapter 8: New Friends, Odd and Odder

Aaron took a deep breath as he rang the doorbell of McDuck Manor, a plate of double chocolate scones in ones of his hands. He felt a surge of mirth and a bit of shame, wondering how Mrs. Beakley would react to having _American _scones in the manor. He was surprised when the ghostly servant of the manor opened the door instead.

"Good evening, young Master Aaron," Duckworth said with a polite smile in professional voice.

"Good evening to you too, Duckworth," Aaron nodded with a friendly smile and nod as he entered. "I was wondering if Mr. McDuck was around?"

"He's in the TV room with the youngest right now," the butler specter said as he closed the door, referring to the green-clothed triplet. "I will let him know of your arrival."

"Thank you," the humanoid said as he followed Duckworth towards the room while eyeing the pictures on the walls.

Most were grand paintings of the Scottish drake's accomplishments and adventures. Other frames depicted more modern photos of him and his family. Those were the ones that made Aaron's heart melt as his smile grew. Even though he had been to the mansion several times, it never ceased to please him to see how someone with so much money could also have so much love for his own family. However, there was one thing that bother the auburn-haired young man. Actually, _several _things bothered him and that he found that he secretly, but desperately, wanted the answers to.

And today would be the day that he got those answers.

Just as the ghostly servant was about to open the door to the TV room, Louie came bolting out only to be stopped when he ran face first into the young Kree's legs, thankfully only landing on his rear without knocking the other over.

"Well, this is a new hello," Aaron laughed as he grabbed the youngest of the triplets by the scruff of his signature hoodie before propping him back up which made the usually composed Duckworth chuckle a bit. "Where are you running off to, huh?"

"Hey Aaron! Can't talk right now! Gotta make a phone call!" Louie said as he dusted himself off and was about to rush to his room.

"You're not even gonna stop for a double chocolate scone?" the young Kree asked with mock offense.

The mention of chocolate got the youngest of the brothers to double back and grab a scone which he then bit into, gobbling it with happy noises, before he proceeded to continue his race to the room he shared with his brothers, "Thanks, bye!"

"Children today. Always in a hurry," the butler spectre murmured as he turned back to the door, knocking, and then speaking. "Mr. McDuck, Master Aaron is here."

"Let him in," came the voice of the eldest duck.

Giving a nod to the auburn-haired young man, Duckworth proceeded to walk to the opposite wall where he disappeared. The humanoid opened the door only for Scrooge to open it, revealing not only himself but a fully-clothed Gyro sitting in a…bathtub?

"Gyro?" the humanoid gasped.

The head scientist had the courtesy to look equally shocked and embarrassed before the richest duck in Duckburg quickly said, "Hello, Aaron. Sorry, we'll go to my office. Gyro's busy. Leave the scones here in case he gets hungry."

Aaron obliged, smiling as he saw the male rooster already eyeing the scones with a good amount of interest. Upon reaching the office, the young Kree felt his heartbeat pick up a little with nervousness as the world's greatest adventurer seated himself and gestured for Aaron to seat himself as well.

While the humanoid brought over a chair to sit down, Scrooge spoke, "So, how have you been lad?"

"I've been doing good! Very good," the auburn-haired young man said with a grin. "You know, Storkules invited Donald and I over for lunch the day before."

"Oh, really?" the richest duck in Duckburg asked with sincere intrigue.

"Yeah," the humanoid nodded. "He gave us quite a surprise."

* * *

_**The Evening Before**_

"_Oh, Storkules," Aaron breathed in awe as he stared at the pair of artificial golden wings in his hand while Donald held a pair of his own. "We can't accept these!"_

"_But you must!" the immortal anthro insisted with gleeful expression on his face. "After the passing of Daedalus, I asked the sorceress goddess, Circe, and the god of forgery, Hephaestus, to rebuild the wings as indestructible but still strong enough to carry one to great heights."_

"_Aaron's right, we can't ask you to hand over something so amazing," the sailor-suited drake put in. _

"_My dear friends, I can think of no other heroes so worthy of these fine wings," the legendary hero said with the most sincerity in his eyes._

_Before the auburn-haired young man could argue further, by reminding the benevolent Greek god that he already had wings, a ding sounded from the kitchen, causing Storkules to exclaim happily, "Oh! The Spanakopita is done!"_

_As Storkules disappeared into the tiny but rather attractive kitchen of the well-off apartment, Aaron set the wings beside him on the couch where he and the uncle of three were sitting upon. He walked around, admiring the combination of Greek décor and furnishings like vases and weapons on the wall to the more modern items like photographs and modern furniture. He had to bite his lip to keep himself from snickering when he came across one with Donald staring bug-eyed at a very embellished statue that the immortal anthro had made of the short-tempered duck._

_But all mirth disappeared when he came upon one particular photo. _

_It showed Donald, Scrooge, Selene, and Storkules smiling with expressions of pure bliss and joy, looking as though they had the best laugh of their lives when the photo was taken. The one person who Aaron did not recognize was the fifth member; a female duck who looked to have been the same edge as Donald at the time was smiling the brightest. She wore a pilot's cap and goggles, a pilot's coat and scarf, short pants, and her hair was in the style of a short bob and swept bangs. _

_The auburn-haired young man turned his head to see that Donald was texting on his phone, no doubt checking on the kids. Feeling a guilty relief that his silent prying had gone unnoticed, Aaron turned back to look at the photo, he realized there was a caption underneath that read;_

_FUN DAY WITH SISTER SELENE AND BELOVED FRIEND DONALD, NOBLE BRAVE SCROOGE, AND FIERY LOYAL DELLA._

"_Della," the young Kree murmured under his breath._

_He was startled when the immortal anthro's voice rang out, "The Feast of Friends is ready!"_

_The humanoid quickly proceeded to follow the sailor-suited drake to the kitchen, the picture and name rolling around in his head with no signs of stopping soon._

_**End**_

* * *

By the end, Scrooge stared at Aaron with a mix of shock, sadness, and knowing.

"I didn't come here to harass you or cause any harm," the humanoid said as he stood up from his seat. "I just wanted to let you know that since you and everyone else are there for me, I would like to be there for you whenever you guys need me."

When he didn't get a response, the young Kree quickly said, "I'm sorry if I have upset you. I'll see myself out."

He had barely taken two steps towards the door when the Scottish drake finally spoke, "Della was my niece. Donald's twin. The boys' mother."

"What happened to her?" the auburn-haired young man asked turning to the eldest duck.

"We lost her to the stars," was all the richest duck in Duckburg said with his eyes closed sorrowfully.

Aaron felt like icicles were stabbing his heart, rendering him speechless before he spoke, "I can't tell you how sorry I am. I wish I could do something to give you some closure or at least one last search for her. But all I can give you is my solemn word that I will be there for you and yours as you have been for me and mine."

With that, the humanoid left, but not before he heard the world's greatest adventurer murmur, "Thank you, Aaron."

* * *

Days after the talk, Aaron found himself in front of the bin holding a container of spicy ginger vegetable soup, a bottle of cold medicine, and a thermos of peppermint tea with honey and lemon, per Huey's orders, for the currently sick Scrooge. The auburn-haired young man's past few days had been packed with working and stopping the occasional rogue Beagle, leaving him unable to visit the manor. However, he had been told by both Gloria and Fenton to keep his distance at the time due to Scrooge's irrational behavior.

He even heard talk that the Scottish drake was losing his sanity over some pocket change, eighty-seven cents to be exact. Aaron didn't know if this was true or not, since he spent most of the little bit of free alone time he got reading or listening to music, but he decided to just tread lightly. The young Kree was no stranger to how irritable and delusional sick people could be and he knew where not to be when that happened. He would drop the items off but he wasn't sure if the ill Scottish drake or the possibly stressed out family would welcome him to stay or not. Perhaps he should just drop it off and leave them be. No need to get in the way when they had so much on their plates. Just a quick drop-off then, simple as that.

Or he thought it would be.

As he walked closer to the entrance, he was stopped by two anthros, one a canine anthro and the other was an avian anthro. Both were male and wore dark suits and sunglasses that were very familiar.

"Aaron Vellvett," the avian anthro said in a stoic voice. "You need to come with us."

"But I was called to bring these for Mr. McDuck," the humanoid protested a little as he held up the items.

Without a word, the canine anthro quickly, but not aggressively, took the items which he then handed to his partner before leading the young Kree to a black car parked at the side of the building. Upon entering the backseat, he was flabbergasted when he was met with a frustrated and concerned Agent Flurry sitting in the seat opposite of him.

"Flurry? Well, this is a surprise!" Aaron couldn't help but proclaim before saying in a more cautious tone. "What are you doing here? Has something happened? Have I done something?"

"Something has happened but not something you caused," the anthro official said reassuringly in a cool tone. "In fact, it's something that you're gonna help with."

"Helping? With what?" the auburn-haired young man asked with great curiosity and apprehension.

As the car began to drive, she pulled out a tablet, turning it on before showing him, "This."

The humanoid looked at the picture she was showing him and his eyes widened with surprise and confusion. He had no idea who or what he was looking at. The picture was taken from afar of a being pressed against the wall of a complex, looking to the right. Whoever, or whatever, the creature was it had a humanesque body and limbs but the head…the head was entirely differently. The being had a cubic head with two prongs not unlike those on an electric plug. They had no visible nose or ears but had two eyes hidden by an opaque yellow visor and a mouth.

Both his narrowed eyes and scowling mouth gave one the impression that he was not happy with his situation. He wore an outfit that was almost similar to Aaron's but it had no star symbol but electricity patterns the color of a bumblebee's stripes. The suit itself had lightning bolt pieces attached to the shoulders and back of the legs. His arms looked to be encased, or at least Aaron thought they looked encased, in some sort of limb enhancers that had five claw-ripped digits on each enhancer. The last thing he noted was that there was a cord connected to the small of his back with a plug at the end, almost like a tail.

"What or who in the galaxy am I looking at?" the young Kree finally said.

"You don't recognize the species?" the female goshawk asked sounding disappointed. "We were hoping you would know."

Aaron shook his head apologetically as he explained, "No, doesn't look like he's a part of any race that I know about. Don't get me wrong, we have quite a few various species, organic, robotic, and techno-organic, in my universe but none of them come close to wherever he's from. You sure he's not from here on Earth?"

"As I'm sure I prefer strawberry-raspberry jam on my toast and like when it's cut diagonally," Flurry said. "If his kind existed on this planet, Scrooge and Beakley would have told us. He popped up a couple of days after you did, actually. That's why we thought you would know. Now we realized that was downright foolish of us. Sorry for any offenses."

"None taken. What do you need help with specifically?" the auburn-haired young man inquired.

"We need to bring this guy in for questioning," the formidable agent said firmly. "We need strategic fighters like you and our resources are spread pretty thin trying to keep up with our superiors' orders to keep the public from getting hysterical."

"Has he done something? Hurt anyone?" Aaron asked worriedly.

"No, but if you've read the news about sightings describing this guy, you know how he's getting a lot of attention," Flurry continued. "He's causing a panic and not just because nobody has ever seen anything like him before."

"What do you mean?" the humanoid probed.

"He moves. Fast," the female goshawk said urgently. "Yesterday, he was spotted in Paris, France before he was spotted in Dublin, Ireland an hour later. Since he's arrived, we've found he's been in over twelve to twenty different places. And the amount of time he gets to distant locations is the shortest our scientist have seen."

Aaron's eyes widen, "That's insanely fast."

The formidable agent nodded sternly, "And it seems that every time he jumps places, there's a power surge. It's not exactly like the surge we had when you came here but it's just as powerful."

"And where do I come in?" Aaron asked insistently.

"We were hoping you can go talk to him," Flurry said finally. "And hopefully won't have to use force to get him to come with you."

"Why me though?" the young Kree asked with confusion and intrigue.

"He has shown to avoid Earthlings at any cost," Flurry continued "But we figured that a non-Earthling would be a better strategy. Plus, we've heard about how you soothe those who are in a panic."

She then proceeded to pull up a video of him soothing Mitzy, causing her to smile as he blushed a pale midnight blue and looked away bashfully before saying, "Alright, I'll do it."

Moments later, they all arrived at an airport terminal, right in front of a jet that could hold a small amount of people but looked fast. The humanoid felt his mouth drop open in surprise when he saw Beakley there with a few other agents.

"Mrs. Beakley, you're coming with us?" was the first thing Aaron said as he got out of the car.

"Indeed," the retired agent said confidently. "Though I'll only be coming to monitor you. We want to make sure to maintain your safety and the safety of this new individual. And we've also alerted your workplace that you'll be with us for the rest of the day."

Nodding, the young Kree proceeded to say, "Alright. Just let me make a quick call first."

Both undauntable housekeeper and formidable agent nodded as they began heading inside the jet while Aaron tapped at his phone before it rang and he answered it, "Hey, Gloria. Something's come up and I have to help Flurry with something. Actually, with _someone_ who most likely needs help."

* * *

The auburn-haired young man couldn't stop himself from staring a bit anxiously at the bookstore.

After a couple of ours, the jet landed in Venice, Italy where they got word that the target was in a bookstore in Castello. Although there were no reports of attacks, tourists and residents alike had been cleared out, for safety reasons. Once they had managed to fix him with an ear piece so they can direct him, he was off. Of course, while Flurry's team managed to get every one out and prevent any panic, that did not stop them from looking on with curiosity and trying to lift their phones high above the intercepting S.H.U.S.H. employees to take pictures videos. Whispers, a mix of English, Italian, and a few others floated in the air like a mist.

"Stay sharp and be careful," were the words given to him by Webby's grandmother.

Taking a deep breath, he was about to open the door when he felt a tap on his leg. Looking down he saw a female piglet in a yellow dress, who somehow made it past one of the guards, smiling up at him while offering him a cellophane bag filled with what looked to be cookies. Despite shaking his head with a gentle smile, the child eagerly and tenaciously offered the bag of what were most likely homemade treats.

Finally giving in, Aaron took the bag as he said with a amused smile and warm voice, "Grazie."

As the piglet skipped away to her mother, Aaron put the cookies away in a compartment on his suit before entering the building.

Upon entering, the first thing he noticed was the way in which everything looked so neat. Not that he believed that store would be poorly maintained but with the way that it had immediately been evacuated, he thought he would see a couple of books on the floor and tables or maybe even some forgotten items like a purse or sweater. But he found none.

The second thing he noticed was the music playing in the store itself. Seeing the lack of speakers on the ceiling made him realize that the music was coming from somewhere else. And that was not the only sound he heard. He recognized the sound of somebody, slowly and deliberately flicking pages of a book along with humming.

Following the sound with focused steps, Aaron made his way to the far corner of the store. Peeking behind a bookcase full of mystery books, he turned his head and saw the one he was looking for. The Plug-Head was currently lounging in a chair, looking rather calm, and reading a book. In his lap was, to Aaron's surprise, a small plug like droid with four stubby legs, eyes, no mouth, and a small tail not unlike the one of the Plug-Head who was stroking the said droid who appeared to be the one emitting the music.

"_Do you got eyes on the target?" _Flurry's voice sounded in his ear.

"Yes, I do," the humanoid whispered back as he pressed on the button of the ear piece. "He's just sitting there. Doesn't look like the malevolent type."

The young Kree once again felt something prodding at his leg, causing him to look down and silently gasp as he saw another small drone like the one in the Plug-Head's lap pawing at his ankle.

"You know I can hear you," a young masculine voice came from the lips of the one lounging in the chair who looked up with his visor-covered eyes, causing the auburn-haired young man's mouth to drop open and his eyes to widen. "I heightened my audios to pick up conversations."

"_He knows you're there!" _Beakley's voice spoke with great shock and alarm.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to hurt anyone," the Plug-Head said in a voice that seemed half reassuring and half casual. "And I can tell you're not here to hurt me. Otherwise you would have already raised a weapon to me or told me I was under arrest."

"I'm actually unarmed," the humanoid said calmly.

"_Don't tell him that!" _an agent in the background protested before being shushed by all the other people on the communication line.

Ignoring that, Aaron continued, "But you're right. I don't shoot first unless someone's being hostile, and even then I wait for them to make the first strike. And you aren't acting like much of a threat yourself. If you were dangerous, you would have attacked someone or me or even taken a hostage. But you haven't."

"Because I know what it's like to feel threatened or trapped," was the bitter and sorrowful reply.

Something about that reply sent a wave of sympathy and familiarity through Aaron's mind and heart. It reminded him of how scared he had been interacting with the younger Skrull refugees, always fearing they would lash out against him because he was a Kree, the very species that had burned their homes and murdered their people. But after years of playing, laughing, and learning with him, he realized that they having experienced such tragedies pushed them to be the opposite of those who hurt them.

"That's not what I'm gonna do," the young Kree said firmly. "What's your name?"

For a moment, the Plug-Head looked pensive, biting his lip before finally murmuring, "Chispero. Chispero Blackout."

Not knowing whether this was his real name or a name that the other made up, the auburn-haired young man chose to accept it, showing that through nodding before replying, "Well, hello Chispero. Welcome to Earth. Well, I call it Earth D, actually."

"Yeah, I can tell you're not from here. The universe I come from is populated by homosapiens too," Chispero nodded. "So, how does a homosapien like you end up here?"

"Well, first of all I'm not a homosapien," Aaron replied with a sheepish smile. "I'm a Kree. My people just look like Earth homosapiens. But I grew up around them back in my dimension."

"Kree," Chispero rolled the word on his tongue. "Not familiar with that species."

"Then you must not be from my universe," the young Kree said reasonably. "My people are well known. And not in a good way. What about you?"

"I come from a planet populated by robots," the Plug-Head stated. "But don't let that affect how you perceive us. We have similar qualities to organic societies, such as growing from infant to adult, marriage, education, consuming organic foods, and _other _things."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," the auburn-haired young man said sincerely, taking curious note of how the other's face turned a reddish-pink after saying the last part.

"Thanks, Starcaster," Chispero smiled.

Aaron blinked in utter surprise, "How do you know my name?"

This caused the young male robot to bite his lip with guilt, "Because you and I sort of met before. In the ocean. When you saved one of my droids who were stuck in that sea creature."

This caused the humanoid to gape as he spoke, "That was you? B-But how?"

Chispero smiled coyly, "I have different modes."

"What were you doing in the ocean, anyway?" Aaron probed.

"My droids and I were just swimming around and collecting different samples of ocean life when that giant krill came out of nowhere and Dibly here got caught up in the currents and got stuck on it," Chispero explained.

"It's actually a she and her name is Mitzy," Aaron corrected before immediately adding upon seeing the other's bewildered and unnerved expression. "That's what her owner called her. Don't worry, she's the only krill that size on this planet and she's really affectionate."

"Alright," Chispero aid carefully as his expression turned back to normal. "So, what else do you want to know?"

"What's your planet like?" the young Kree inquired politely.

The Plug-Head proceeded to fiddle with his little droid, who didn't seem to mind, before a holographic image projected from the droid's eyes, showing a planet as he spoke, "This is where I was born, Planet Ribbon. Ridiculous name, I know. Long ago, it was divided into four known cities; Voxen Tin, RedNacht, Cordance, and Vonhaschen. Of course, they were named after the cities' lineage of "respectable" leaders."

Aaron felt a surge of confusion and concern at the bitter tone of the word "respectable" while the image shifted to look at a large cubic structure.

"Our moon, which we called the Cube, was ruled by Governor Fiber Vonhaschen, though it provided energy to all the cities," Chispero continued, biting his lip as he closed his eyes before sighing and reopening them. "It was where I use to work. I was the lead engineer. For a time, I accepted my role."

"What happened?" the auburn-haired young man asked, fearing the answer.

However, he got no answer as the image disappeared and the other had a far-off look which quickly changed as he squeezed his eyes shut and shook, like the coldest of winds swept through him. The humanoid knew that it was not cold but fear and sorrow that was causing the shaking. How did he know this? Because he went through something similar when one of his more elderly babysitters, who were looking after a twelve-year-old him and a much younger child, suddenly began having a heart attack. He was quick to call 911 and perform the instructions given to him but the poor eight-year-old was practically in tears because of how scared he was. In the end, Aaron managed to calm him down with some sugar cookies that they had baked that day.

Recalling the bag of cookies on hand, Aaron quickly reached for them while saying, "It's okay, it's okay! Forget it! It was a dumb question I had no right asking it. Here, have one!"

Upon saying that last one, he had finally fished out the cookies, opened the bag, and held it out to the other. Chispero's eyes slowly fluttered open, allowing the young Kree to see the glistening orbs behind the visor, painfully showing how close the dam was to bursting for the former lead engineer. Thankfully, upon seeing the offered treats, the Plug-Head immediately began to calm down before reaching into the bag and pulling out a spumoni cookie.

"Thanks," he said with a small smile before taking a bite.

"No problem," Aaron smiled before choosing a chocolate biscotti and biting into it.

For a couple of minutes, they spent a good several minutes chomping on the different cookies until the bag was empty. The ear piece was relatively quiet with some incoherent whispering in the background. During that time, the droid who had been nudging Aaron's leg earlier had crawled onto his shoulder which the auburn-haired young man found incredibly endearing as it reminded him of how Nutmeg would do the same.

After Chispero finished swallowing his third almond cookie, he sighed and spoke, "I hated it. Working on the Cube. Well, I didn't hate it but maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if I wasn't shanghaied into it."

Aaron said nothing as he nodded while paying attention to what he was hearing.

"And do you think any of those jerks on the Cube noticed how much time and energy it was taking out of me? No, they didn't," the former lead engineer continued to rant. "You know, I was a college student at the time. They thought they could just take me out of the classroom, away from my friends, and just make me work day and night. You would think that someone who was in power, who had a sense of morality, would step up sooner or later and ask me if I was okay. But they didn't."

The humanoid stared at Chispero in shock, feeling his heart twist.

"They used me, lied to me, and betrayed me," the young male robot hissed in a choked voice. "So, I left Ribbon when I turned nineteen, but not before I decided to plant a virus that would unveil some unsavory things about our so-called leaders and government. Let the people see the real faces of those who were in charge."

The young Kree's eyes widened as he spoke, "Is that where you developed the technology you used to come from there to here?"

Chispero paused before saying quietly with a shrug, "Around that time, yes."

"Is this the first place you went to or were there others?" Aaron couldn't help but ask with a bit of eagerness.

The eagerness seemed to be contagious as the Plug-Head began to grin, "Several. Lost count of how many. Or how long I've been away from home. I estimate almost a year. I don't know, it's always a different month, season, or whatever."

"So, when you jump through space, you must also jump through time," the young Kree murmured in astonishment before asking carefully. "Did, you ever go back to check on your own universe?"

"No, but I wish I could. If only to see the people I know who still care about me," the young male robot sighed longingly.

"Like your parents?" the humanoid guessed and immediately regretted that when a pained look of regret crossed the other's face.

"I…burned a lot of bridges when I left," Chispero added as he looked skyward. "Truth be told, not sure if anyone there wants me back after the stunts I pulled. I wouldn't want me back."

Aaron was quiet for a moment before he outstretched a hand, "Well, sometimes the only way to go is forward. And if, by any chance, you do go back, I'm sure someone will want you. But for right now, it looks like you're stuck with us."

The young male robot looked at the offered hand before smiling a genuine smile and taking it, before standing up while the droid in his lap crawled to rest on his shoulder. It was then that the young Kree saw that Chispero just barely reached his chin, prongs reaching a little past Aaron's head. Almost immediately, the humanoid heard a slew of tapping and skittering which led him to turn around to see more of the little droids surround them, about eight or so more.

"So, what's next?" the former lead engineer asked casually.

"Well-," Aaron began but was stopped by sudden shouting outside.

Panicked shouting followed by a loud unfamiliar roar.

"What's that?" the auburn-haired young man said with alarm and confusion, only intensifying when he saw the look of morbid realization on the Plug-Head's face.

"Trouble," Chispero whispered before rushing out.

The humanoid quickly followed the other outside and halted what he saw. The creature was neither homosapien or anthropomorphic, just like Chispero, but it was far more nightmarish. Its head was a current-colored upside down, four-sided pyramid with one electric orange eye and a mouth of chipped, squarish teeth that were gnashing with dirty white fluid dripping from them. The body, which was the color of worn bricks and fresh asphalt, was as tall as it was thin. Skeletal thin. However, the thinness did not take away from the intimidating stance with four arms and legs that were inverted like that of a bird. But the most unsettling and stomach-churning thing about it was the opened chest cavity revealing a bunch of multi-colored wires covered with some unknown inky substance with some of the wires withering out from it. The creature was currently cornering and snarling at a small group of people petrified by the horrific appearance.

"What am I seeing?!" the humanoid gasped, feeling like he was about to toss his cookies in every sense of the word. "Oh Moon, Earth, and Sun, it's like something you have nightmares about after playing Q*Bert and eating Yummy Mummy cereal for twelve hours straight!"

"It's Apexis," the Plug-Head said with a serious tone and face to match. "He was a part of another robotic race in my universe called the Deltas. He was the major of his people's military until he took an experimental tonic that mutated him. He followed me here. That's one of the reasons why I stuck around. I wasn't about to leave this guy here where he could hurt innocent beings."

"Why did he follow you for?" the young Kree asked urgently.

"Because I got him fired when I destroyed his people's plans to destroy an innocent organic race to mine for new resources and framed him for it," the young male robot said coolly. "And he wants me dead."

"Are you serious?" the auburn-haired young man demanded in an incredulous tone.

However, Chispero did not reply as he stepped forward and yelled, "Hey Apexis!"

The creature quickly stopped snarling at the civilians and turned to face the one who yelled at him.

"Looking for me?" the former lead engineer asked with antagonistic playful tone, pointing the thumbs of his limb enhancers at himself.

The creature, Apexis, let out a guttural growl that sounded like a combination of clicking, animalistic snarling, and electric noises. The young Kree watched with nervous curiosity and tense focus, preparing to strike if the situation called for it. He felt his adrenaline pick up as the Pyramid Head lowered so close to their faces, that both could see their reflections in the genetically altered beast's eye.

The two smaller non-Earthlings stared down the larger extraterrestrial being for what seemed like forever when Aaron noticed Chispero's right arm sparking. Before he could say anything, the Plug-Head reared his arm back and punched their intimidator in the eye.

As Apexis let out a terrible roar of pain and rage, something else happened. The former leader engineer clicked his clawed fingers and his suit began to change. His advisor turned a bright neon blue and his suit changed to colors of silver, black, and white and the bolt designs on the suit changed to rounded and oval-like designs. But what really shocked when one of Chispero's arms formed into some kind of gun which he used to shoot a ball of neon blue-green energy that formed a person-sized vortex of the same color.

"Let's go!" the young male robot shouted as he grabbed Aaron's arm and jumped through the vortex.

* * *

Before the young Kree knew it, they both landed in large space of grass where he only had enough time to look around and take a quick guess from the wide space, trees, and the familiar city in the distance that they were in the country side of the place they were once in.

"So that's how you've been going from place to place so fast!" the humanoid exclaimed with amazement.

"Yeah, but we can discuss that later because we're not done here yet!" the former lead engineer proclaimed just as Apexis burst through the still open vortex.

"Gotcha!" Aaron shouted back as both simultaneously dodged out of the way as the deformed Delta lunged at them with his clawed, disfigured hands, just barely missing them.

"I don't suppose you were joking when you said you were unarmed, were you?" the young male robot asked hopefully but was given a guilty shake of the head. "Okay, get behind me then."

As he said this, the Plug-Head's suit once again began to change, this time into hues of dark wild cherry, vermillion, and dark tiger orange with flame patterns and designs. Although he felt guilty that he had to be the one to hide behind someone this time, that was overshadowed by the surprise he got when flames shot out of his limb enhancers and hit the Pyramid Head straight on. While it did cause Apexis pain based on the high-pitched screams, it did not look like it was doing much damage.

"What the krutak!? Why isn't that sucker turning into melted aluminum?!" Aaron shouted.

"You can thank the sparkbustin' tonic for that!" Chispero shouted back.

Thinking fast, the humanoid activated the ear piece and said quickly, "Any chance you can hook me up with any of the weapons I surrendered to you, Flurry?"

"_I always come prepared and plan for anything as possible!" _the formidable agent shouted back. _"The ETA is ten minutes."_

"We'll try to hang on until then!" the young Kree replied back as the call ended.

No sooner did he hang up did the fiery onslaught stop as the former lead engineer muttered, "Now that we have him all burnt up, let's see what cooling him off will do."

Like before, his suit changed into hues of frosty blue, sapphire, and lapis with icy designs which proved what they stood for when blue beams shot out and began to encase the deformed Delta in ice.

"This isn't gonna hold him for long!" the Plug-Head gritted out.

Just as he finished that sentence, a black van pulled up, causing the auburn-haired young man to say, "Back up's here!"

He then ran over just as the door opened and a female duck agent pulled out the weapon's case. Upon opening it, the humanoid wasted no time in grabbing the vibranium spear, graphene blade, and the photon sniper rifle.

"Thank you," Aaron said quickly to the agent who just firmly nodded as he ran back to where Chispero had their opponent temporarily contained.

"About time you got back!" the Plug-Head griped somewhat playfully but mostly sternly. "When this guy bursts out, and he will, you and I are gonna have to jump again! There's still too many people here and I'm not gonna let anyone get hurt because of my mistakes."

The humanoid nodded, taking note that, indeed, the agents had yet to leave and were too close to them in his eyes. Apexis already had his upper body out of the ice by the time Chispero had changed back into his Space Jump mode.

"This way Mr. Gruesome," the young male robot challenged as he created yet another vortex that he and Aaron jumped through.

* * *

This time they landed in some sort of sandy desert with large rock formations, though the young Kree caught sight of a dusty road just a few miles away. And as expected, the Pyramid Head had darted through the vortex and once again and, if possible, looked even more infuriated, letting out an ear-splitting screech. It was then that Aaron saw that the other had changed his suit into one that had green and black hues.

"How many settings do you have?" the auburn-haired young man inquired while keeping his eyes on the deformed Delta.

"About ten, though three of them are out of commission right now," the Plug-Head stated firmly with a little sheepishness.

"They'll have to do," was the young Kree's reply as they once again ducked another attack.

"I think we can manage," the young male robot stated, confidence slowly growing in his voice as his left enhancer into a drill.

As they battled the creature, Aaron took note that Chispero was right about his settings as not too long into the battle, he unveiled another one that had the added bonus of wings and was silver, blue, and yellow. They took turns dueling out fire power blows and up-close attacks, swiping here and there. Though they managed to get in a few cuts, the enemy was not going down so easily. Both non-Earthlings fought diligently, succeeding in weakening the creature but also growing low on energy themselves.

"That's it! I'm putting an end to this!" Chispero snarled as he fiddled with his enhancer while in his Space Jump Setting. "I'm freezing this prick in the Antarctic! Then we'll go there to dig him out and-!"

However, one of Apexis' claws darted out and clipped the enhancer, not only causing the young male robot pain but damaging it just before another energy orb shout out. Like the ones before, it formed a blue-green vortex but something was wrong. A powerful force was trying to pull them in. While the Plug-Head decided to switch to his air mode again, Aaron was forced to dig his spear into the ground as the Pyramid-Head did something similar with his claws.

"Starcaster, hold on!" the Plug-Head shouted as he attempted to get close to pull his new friend out of the way of the vortex's powerful suction but the situation was proving futile as he was also avoiding swipes from Apexis's other arms.

"I'm trying!" the young Kree gritted out as forced his grip to tighten painfully on the spear.

This would prove to be in vain as one of the creature's large hands formed a fist and came down hard on the ground, causing it to fracture and the spear to dislodge and Aaron to go flying through the vortex. The only thing being left behind was the spear itself as the vortex closed, almost as if shaming the weapon for failing its master.

"No, Starcaster!" Chispero shouted in horror before he prepared himself to change back to his space jump mode.

He didn't get the chance, however, as he was tackled by the Pyramid Head.

* * *

Aaron felt panic arise in him when he struggled to breathe upon landing on the other side of the vortex. The moment that he saw the star-dotted surroundings, he was quick to activate his suit and wings, despite the dread taking hold of his heart and brain. It only lessened by an inch when he felt firmness beneath him and saw some dirt fly due to his momentary thrashing. Bolting up, he looked around to see vast horizons composed of nothing but silvery planes and formations with the same starry skies.

But the final piece was what he saw in the sky, which was the blue and green ball that was Earth.

"I'm…on the Moon?" he gasped in disbelief to himself.

Indeed, now that he had a better time to look around, he saw that he was on the small orb rotating around the Blue Planet. Getting to his legs shakily, he kept his eyes on the Earth until he felt the urge to look around once more. No plants, no animals, no people. No vortex.

Suddenly remembering the ear piece, Aaron proceeded to frantically fiddle with it, nearly hyperventilating, "Flurry? Flurry are you there?! Beakley?! Chispero!? Anyone!? Hello!?"

Nothing. Nothing but static.

He stopped fiddling with it and everything seemed to spin as he realized…he was alone. All lone. Completely alone. And not only was he away from everyone on Earth but he was alone with no sound. No sounds of trees being rustled by the wind, no trickling of a creek, no birds, or anything.

His breathing quickened as he felt himself sink to his knees, hands clamping on either side of his head, praying for something, anything to end the silence. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to escape the silence as he remembered every memory that had the loudest sounds. His first Fourth of July Parade and fireworks on Earth M. The NASCAR, monster truck, and sports games that he went to with some of the older adolescent Skrulls. The horror movie marathon night he had with Webby who alternated between screaming and laughing. Dewey introducing the songs and music of Powerline to him.

As his panic and anxiety began to ever so slowly drip away, he managed to force his eyes open to look at the expanse of the Moon. For what felt like the hundredth time, he allowed his gaze to rove over the area around him before he saw something sparkle just a few feet away. Confusion partially replaced some of the panic as he got to his feet away and venture over. Bending down, he dusted away some of the Moon soil before picking up the object before he realized what it was.

In his hand, was a nugget of gold the size of a marble.

"What in the-?" the young Kree breathed before he was cut off by a loud shriek.

Putting the piece of gold away, he withdrew his rifle as he listened for another sound. Although he was relieved in the break of silence, the humanoid knew he should be more scared that _someone _or _something _besides him was here on the Moon. A second shriek interrupted his thoughts, now realizing how the cry sounded like that of a baby but was more high-pitched and gargled. Silently but quickly, he began making his way towards the source of the sound, weapon at the ready.

The sound led him to a cluster of boulders, the source coming from the center. By this time, the auburn-haired young man no longer felt apprehension but pity as the noise grew more sorrowful and frightened in range. Climbing the boulders, he carefully peeked over the top and looked into the center where his jaw fell open.

The only way to describe the creature he saw was that it was insect-like, perhaps even arachnid-like. It was the size of a fairly young elephant and was the greyish-green color that almost reminded Aaron of a kiwi fruit. Stubby little nubs of antennae wiggle on top of its slightly dark head and its mouth appeared to be a slew of equally small tentacles. But what really caught the humanoid's attention was the four red eyes, flowing with _tears_, glancing around helplessly like a frightened kitten.

A feeling of sympathy, not unlike the one he had for Chispero, rose in his chest and without thinking, whispered softly, "Hey you."

All at once, the Moon creature stopped its cries and looked straight at him, eyes still filled with tears but now also with curiosity and wariness. For a few seconds, the young Kree feared it would resume wailing even louder or would roar and jump at him. He was proven wrong when it did neither and just continued to stare.

"You need help?" Aaron inquired, feeling a bit foolish for asking like the creature could tell him what's wrong.

Taking a deep breath, the humanoid jumped over the boulder, which would not have been a difficulty with or without the Moon's light gravity, and landed in front of the creature who skittered back a bit but did not flee. Cautiously, Aaron circled the creature with a relaxed body stance to show he wasn't a threat as he checked it for injuries. Upon seeing none, he looked turned to look at the boulders surrounding them before looking at its clawed feet. They looked durable but with the creature's heavy body, he could see how climbing may be a problem.

"Are you trapped, fella?" the young Kree asked with a small, non-threatening smile as he took out his graphene blade and walked to a boulder that was only slightly larger than the creature. "No problem!"

The humanoid activated the blade, and with a good few swipes, reduced the boulder to pieces of oddly cut rubble. He was mildly surprised to see a few pieces of gold in the rubble.

"Huh, so gold is a common mineral on the Moon," he murmured to himself before laughing. "Wait until they hear-Hey!"

The auburn-haired young man nearly fell backwards as the creature shoved past him and dove into the rubble. The young Kree watched with shock and fascination as he saw it eat, yes _eat_, the gold parts of the rubble, making excited chirps as it did so, antennae wiggling about.

It suddenly clicked in the humanoid's head as he spoke, "Oh! You were just hungry, weren't you?"

The creature only glanced at him as it continued to dive through the rubble.

"Man, the one time I don't have my phone on me!" Aaron grumbled to himself before shrugging his shoulders. "Better get going, I guess. Take care, fella!"

With that, the auburn-haired young man began heading back in the direction he came from, though he didn't know what he would do next. Half-way to his designation, he heard loud thumps behind him, causing him to turn around and see none other than the gold-gobbling mite not even a yard behind him.

Casting it a curious glance, Aaron took a few steps forward, and as expected, he heard the mite do the same. He then moved to the right and, out of the corner of his eye, he saw it do the same. He then proceeded to walk in a snake formation and, all the while, he looked back to see it doing the exact same thing.

"Are you following me?" the young Kree muttered before face-palming. "Of course, I helped it find food. No wonder people say don't feed wild animals. I brought this on myself."

Turning to the creature, he said, "Look, I don't know if you can understand me but you NEED to stay here, buddy. The Terran of Earth D may have accepted me but you…well, I think you might get more than just a few people screaming and fainting, no offense. Especially Mr. McDuck if gold really is a main component in your diet."

The mite merely blinked at him.

"Well, follow me if you want, but when I get back to Earth, you can't come," Aaron said firmly as he continued his way. "And I was supposed to do today was make a drop-off at the krutakin bin. Now I'm on the Moon and made two discoveries, one of them following me like a lost puppy. Well, that's Universe D for you."

Upon finally reaching the location he was first in, the creature was now so close that Aaron almost tripped once or twice. The third time he fell, he felt the creature nuzzle against the outside of his upper left thigh. That was where the gold nugget was.

"Is that what this is about? The nugget?" Aaron grunted as he got up. "Are you kidding me?"

The creature just stared at him, almost pleadingly, with those big red eyes.

Sighing, the humanoid reached into the compartment and pulled out the nugget and threw it to the mite who gobbled it up in less than a minute, red eyes turning blue much to the auburn-haired young man's intrigue.

Aaron turned away from the mite to look around when his eyes landed on one of the large rock formations. An idea clicked in his head as he pulled out his blade once more while walking towards the formation. He then began to carve in a eight-pointed star, like the one on his chest, the size of an oversized beach ball.

As he finished, he proudly turned back to the mite and asked, "What do you think?"

The creature only blinked sleepily, tired from its rich snack.

"Well, thanks for the feedback," he laughed back, the whole situation so absurd it made him laugh like he had just listened to the best stand-up comedy.

As he calmed down from his laughter, he heard a noise from behind him. Turning around, his tears of laughter were nearly replaced with those of joy as he saw the wonderful familiar blue-green vortex!

"Finally!" he cried as he began running to the vortex, but not before waving back. "Great meeting you!"

As he jumped through the vortex, he didn't notice the rumbling coming from beneath the Moon.

* * *

The young Kree was not surprised to see that Apexis was still up and fighting but he was horrified to see that Chispero was on his hands and knees in his electric mode, fluid dripping from his mouth and body covered with gashes. The poor Plug-Head was trembling with pain and exhaustion, Aaron's spear in his right hand.

Aaron wasted no time in taking out his gun and shouting, "Hey!"

The Pyramid Head snarled as he turned around, only to receive a blast to the face, screeching as pieces fell off to unveil corrupted circuitry underneath.

"Forget about me?" the young Kree snarled. "Come and get me, sucker."

With his attention now on the auburn-haired young man, the deformed Delta began to stalk forward with every intent of ending the organic non-Earthling's life. But Aaron stood his ground, positioning himself while the menacing being drew closer. When he was close enough, Apexis reeled back a claw to strike, the humanoid unsheathed the blade slashed forward. As he had hoped, the hostile being screamed in raw pain as he cradled the stub where its arm use to be, the appendage in question lying a few feet away.

Taking this opportunity, Aaron ran to where Chispero was shakily getting back on his feet, "Hey partner!"

Grinning in spite of the pain, the Plug-Head replied, "Welcome back! Sorry for sending you to wherever you ended up."

"It's fine, wasn't your fault," the humanoid reassured before grabbing the spear from the young male robot. "Let's finish this punk, huh?"

The former lead engineer nodded with determination as he changed into his air mode, his right enhancer changing into that of a crossbow, "Together."

Fury overpowering the pain of losing one of his arms, the deformed Delta turned and roared with deathly intent.

The auburn-haired young man quickly took the spear and placed it firmly in the Plug-Head's crossbow, helping the weakened young male robot aim, "Wait for it."

No sooner had he said that did the Pyramid Head begin charging at them, eye wide with hate and bloodthirst.

"Wait for it," the young Kree repeated as he tensed up.

As he closed the distance, Apexis's jagged mouth opened with a battle cry howl as it pounced.

"Now!" the humanoid shouted as he helped the other shoot the spear.

It sailed through the air, aim falling to the level of their enemy's neck.

_SLICE!_

Both gapped as the deformed Delta fell to the ground…in two. The head fell at their feet while the body just thumped on the ground during mid pounce, laying sprawled as dark fluids began pooling under it. Aaron and Chispero watched as the malicious light left their enemy's eye.

"Well, that's gory," Aaron muttered.

"Yeah, but at least-," Chispero began but stopped as he groaned in pain and slumped to the ground.

"Chispero!" the humanoid exclaimed as he dropped down to his knees to cradle the other against his chest. "Aw, man. That dirty son of gun messed you up something fierce, didn't he?"

"Yeah," the Plug-Head breathed tiredly. "But I've been through worse."

Aaron's attention was diverted from the young male robot when he felt something climb on his leg. He looked to see the group od droids behind him, one of them making its way to his shoulder like before. Another crawled over to a barely conscious Chispero where a syringe emerged from the droid's side and injected a green substance into the Plug-Head's upper arm.

A few minutes later, S.H.U.S.H. vans pulled up and over a dozen agents came running towards them, quite a couple of them in Hazmat suits, no doubt to collect the remains of the dead Pyramid Head. The droids clustered closer to the two non-Earthlings, shaking slightly which made the young Kree pretty nervous as well.

However, the canine anthro who he had met at the bin came forward with a few agents, half in Hazmat suits and half not, and knelt down, "We need to take these guys to HQ."

Reluctantly, the humanoid handed the young male robot to them as he said, "Take care of them. All of them. Especially Chispero."

"Teri," the former lead engineer whispered, startling everyone. "Call me Teri. It's…my real name."

Staring for a second, Aaron couldn't help but smile and breathe, "Okay. But only if you call me Aaron."

Both shared a small laugh before the former lead engineer and his droids were taken away into the ambulance-like vehicle that arrived with the vans. Two other agents, a male pig and a female lizard, ushered him to a different van where he sat down just as he heard voices emit from his ear piece once more.

"Hey, I'm here," the auburn-haired young man quickly said as he pressed on the piece.

"_Oh, thank goodness you're safe!"_ the undauntable housekeeper breathed in relief. _"When we couldn't contact you, we feared the worse!" _

"Yeah, I'm okay," the young Kree said reassuringly.

"_Where on Earth did you go, anyway? I put a tracker in your ear piece, the best that our scientist could make, and we couldn't find you for nearly an hour! What happened?!" _the formidable agent demanded with suspicion but also great worry.

"It's a long story," Aaron said carefully, considering how the answer challenged the rhetorical first question.

"_We'll talk about it later,"_ the British female duck said urgently before adding. _"We have a funeral to go to right now."_

The humanoid felt his heart freeze before dropping like a block of ice and he hesitantly asked in a fearful voice, "Who's funeral?"

"Mr. McDuck's," the retired agent said sternly.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

Beakley shook her head as she climbed the ladder while Aaron helped steadied the bottom, her focus on the two time-frozen drakes.

As she reached the top, she turned to the four ducklings watching from the broken window and patiently asked, "What do you do the next time your uncle goes mad with suspicion?"

"Call Mrs. Beakley," Webby, Dewey, and Huey said in unison.

"Fake Scrooge's death," Louie said, causing Aaron to bite back a snicker.

Grabbing her employer/friend and the Time Teaser, Beakley climbed back down where the humanoid released his hold on the ladder. The retired agent proceeded to hit the button on the Time Teaser, causing both Scrooge and Glomgold to become unfrozen. But while Scrooge was put down safely by the British female duck, the eldest duck's nemesis ended up falling and hitting himself against the ladder which had also fell. While the auburn-haired young man did feel a little bad as the greedy drake laid on the ground, groaning in pain, he felt a bit of justice as he remembered the humiliated Owlson who had left the false funeral earlier.

"Thank you, Beakley," the Scottish drake nodded gratefully.

"Don't mention it. Really," the undauntable housekeeper said coolly as she walked away, Aaron following close behind as Scrooge stayed behind to get his stolen eighty-seven cents and lick his opponent's glasses before putting them back and following everyone else.

Reaching the front of the manor, Aaron was quickly confronted by the ducklings, Dewey the first to burst out, "I can't believe you were on the Moon!"

"Believe it," the young Kree smiled proudly, though he did feel a little guilty leaving out the part about the gold and aliens.

However, with all that was happening, and fearing he would be called a liar or insane, he chose to keep quiet.

"Are we gonna get to meet this Chispero guy?" Webby asked excitedly.

"Well, if Flurry allows us to see him," Aaron said, feeling a little uncertainty and worry for his new friend.

However, not long after he said that, a black van pulled up and the goshawk stepped out, on her should was one of the droids. The young Kree walked towards her while the Duck family, Gizmoduck, Launchpad, and Gyro.

The humanoid asked nervously, "Teri, is he-?"

"He's fine," Flurry said reassuringly. "He's just resting."

The auburn-haired young man breathed a sigh of relief until Flurry handed him a advanced looking tablet, "What's this?"

"Turn it on," the formidable agent nodded encouragingly with a gentle look.

Aaron obeyed, tapping the screen which lit up and glowed a bluish-white before a tired looking Plug-Head appeared on the screen, "Teri!"

The young male robot appeared to be laying in a medical bed and wore a white shirt while a blanket covered the rest of his body. His suit and visor were gone, allowing Aaron to take in the creamy porcelain white of his "skin" and how his eyes were a color that was a sort of sea greenish cyan. Three of his droids were nestled beside him.

"Hey, Aaron," Teri said in a bright tone. "I'm doing good. Just thought I would have these guys send you a little something while I rest up here. They're keeping me for some time."

"We plan to keep surveilling him for a couple of weeks. Maybe months," the female goshawk said in an official tone. "He'll have access to all our facilities, among other things, in return for working with us."

"Teri, are you sure about this?" the young Kree asked as he directed his attention back to the former lead engineer.

Teri's smile seemed to brighten a bit, "I'll survive. Besides, it's pretty nice here. Almost feels like home. Except, this time, I'm ready for whatever they throw at me."

"I know the feeling," the humanoid nodded with kind smile.

"We'll see if we can schedule get together for you two," the formidable agent said with a humorous tone but sincerity in her eyes before getting back in the van. "See you soon, kid."

As the van drove off, the young Kree turned to the others, the screen of the tablet facing them so they could see the equally curious Plug-Head, "Everyone, meet Teri. Teri, meet everyone."

"Hello," the young male robot said shyly and politely.

"Hi, I'm Webby!" the bubblegum-clothed duckling said, scurrying forward as Aaron bent down to her level. "We heard all about you and how you and Aaron fought that Inter-Dimensional monster!"

"Is it true your suit can control different elements?" the blue-clothed triplet asked excitedly.

"How does your kind process organic food into energy?" the red-clothed triplet added curiously.

"Can you send me the monster's head?" the green clothed triplet put in hopefully.

"Is it true you were the lead engineer back on your own planet and you mastered jumping through time and space?" Gyro said eagerly like a toddler offered a plush animal.

Everyone turned to look at the male rooster who defiantly scoffed, "What? I'm not allowed to be inquisitive like the kids?"

That caused everyone to burst into laughter.

Meanwhile, on the Moon, three shadows loomed over the star carving with curiosity.

* * *

Here's Chapter 8! I know it's pretty long and it took long to make it, but I hope you all enjoy it! And for those of you who read the webcomics of _Mystereobot _( archive/) and _Don't Worry, Teri Blokhin _( archive/), then you know who Teri is. And yes, this is an AU OOC version of him. Why is he this way? How did he come to be Chispero Blackout. That'll be answered in the sequel and Planet Ribbon fanfics. And yes, I did get permission from the creator. Don't worry, this is still mainly a _Ducktales_/_Marvels _crossover fanfic. Also yes, Aaron met the baby Moon Mite. I think that baby Moon Mites don't develop their corrosive saliva or hone their burrowing abilities until they're adults. And you better believe I made Aaron use Rocket's curse word. I think it's universal. Sparkbust is also a swear word that bioatomic uses in the comics. I also hope you caught the eighties references. I own Aaron and the plot, nothing else. Not Teri or the Deltas *both owned by bioatomic on Tumblr* (just this AU version of him and Delta monster), the Marvel franchise, or Ducktales. Happy Readings!


	9. Chapter 9: Family Is Always There

Chapter 9: Family Is Always There

"Why do we have to go again?" Louie grumbled as he sat in the limo next to his brothers, each of them dressed in a tux that corresponded with their signature colors.

"It's the Annual Duckburg's Policemen's and Firefighters' Ball," Mrs. Beakley said from her seat where she wore a lovely but conservative dark lilac evening gown. "All citizens, both of great wealth and great reputation, are invited to mingle with the city's police, firefighters, and other emergency responders so that they may offer donations and resources for said heroes. Half of those donations and resources also go to the charities that all the departments support, including several homeless and children's charities."

"Plus, we need to keep an eye on Glomgold," Scrooge added firmly, dressed in a nice suit but keeping his signature top hat and spats. "Officer Cabrera, Fenton and Aaron are going to be there as well. We don't want that tiresome tyrant going after Aaron in front of everyone like he did at the Starducks a few days ago."

"I also heard Mark Beaks will be attending too," Huey muttered, making a face.

"What? Why was he invited?! I thought Fenton's mom would have pulled every string possible to make sure that jerk didn't attend!" Dewey protested.

"Waddle is also one of the richest companies in Duckburg," Webby jumped in hesitantly, dressed in a cute and proper sleeveless baby pink dress with a white satin bow around her waist and pale lilac lace around the neckline. "And with all the dangerous and insane events the city goes through, they need all they can get. Even if it comes from a bunch of narcissists like Glomgold and Beaks, who are secretly hated by the police as Officer Cabrera told me."

Donald, who wore his sailor cap but wore an appropriate dark blue suit, argued, "Poor Aaron's gonna be on edge during the whole ball. And he still wants to go?"

"I overheard Fenton and Aaron talking about it when I visited the Cabreras earlier," the eldest brother stated. "He's pretty determined to go, even with Beaks being there."

"More power to Aaron then," the green-clothed duckling murmured.

"Too bad we couldn't find Aaron a date," the blue-clothed duckling grumbled. "Then maybe Beaks would get the hint that Aaron isn't interested."

"It's not like we really had any time to find someone who fits his preference," the uncle of three piped up. "Man or woman."

"I still can't believe it," Huey said before quickly saying embarrassedly. "I mean, don't get me wrong, he has my support just as much as he has all your support. I just can't believe that enjoys the company of both."

* * *

_**A Few Days Earlier **_

_Everyone watched patiently, though worriedly, as the young Kree paced in front of them. The Cabreras, Scrooge, Donald, Beakley, the triplets, Webby, Launchpad, and even Duckworth, were all standing in the TV room. _

_Over an hour ago, all of them had gotten a text from the humanoid, asking if they could all meet collectively at the manor. While each of them were confused and surprised, they obliged to the auburn-haired young man's wishes. After they were all done with their tasks and activities, they met in the front of the manor before gathering in the room they were now seated in. They snuck glances at each other, sharing an equal sense of curiosity and dread. Now, after nearly ten minutes, they were still waiting for the anxious Aaron to say something._

"_Aaron, you've been quiet since we got here," Gloria was the first to break the silence, not bothering to hide the motherly worry in her voice. "What's wrong, honey?"_

"_Yeah, you're kind of scaring us," Dewey put in cautiously. "Did something happen?"_

"_No, no, no, everything's fine," Aaron said quickly as he stopped to face them, his biting of his lower lip betraying him. "Just figuring how to say what I want to say."_

"_Just say it," Webby encouraged gently. "Real fast. Like ripping off a band-aid. Or a leech."_

"_Alright," the young Kree said, chuckling a bit from the bubble-gum clothed duckling's words, before sighing. "Okay…I'm bisexual!"_

_Silence stretched throughout the manor._

"_Is that it?" Scrooge asked, humor and slight annoyance tinging his voice as though the auburn-haired young man had just admitted to disliking a certain movie or being afraid of some small thing. "Curse me kilts lad, you nearly gave us all heart attacks, making it sound like you were about to tell us something was wrong with you."_

"_Uncle Scrooge is right. It's no big deal to us," the sailor-suited drake added reassuringly. _

"_R-Really?" the humanoid stuttered in disbelief and joy._

"_M'ma and I know several people, inside and outside our family, who are members of LGBTQ," Fenton jumped in. "Why were you so afraid?"_

"_Well, I was raised in a time period where, on Earth M at least, even thinking romantic thoughts about someone of the same sex in the like you would think of opposite sex was still a taboo in some ways," Aaron admittedly quietly. "And, I know things aren't like that anymore but I guess since the only people I ever told were Mar-Vell and Kayla, I was struggling with the idea of not being afraid to let others close to me know."_

"_Sweetheart, we would never turn you away," the Cabrera matriarch soothed in a sincere, loving voice. _

"_Aaron, the days where you felt you needed to fear being yourself are over," Beakley said firmly with kindness in her voice. _

"_Yeah, so you like girls and boys," Launchpad added. "You're still you."_

_The female duckling jumped from her seat and quickly made her way over to the auburn-haired young man where she hugged his legs, being too short to reach his waist, and said, "We love you no matter who you like. We'll always love who you are." _

_By this point, everyone had come over and were now hugging or patting Aaron's shoulder, the humanoid feeling warm inside as he withheld tears of joy. _

"_Thank you," was all that Aaron was able to whisper in a shaky voice. _

_**End **_

* * *

"Well, we could have set up a dating site but then that would have been like a mailman dressing up as a T-bone steak for Halloween," Louie shrugged to which his brothers nodded with looks of agreement.

"Well, I'm sure he'll meet someone nice at the ball," the retired agent's granddaughter said encouragingly.

"Well, let's hope they're a pleasant lady or gentleman," the undauntable housekeeper said with a hopeful smile.

"Well, that won't be that phone-obsessed philanderer," the Scottish drake spat, referring to the CEO of Waddle.

Everyone nodded before Launchpad announced, "We're here!"

As the buff drake parked, or parked as best as he could, they failed to notice they failed to notice a glamorous vehicle beside them and the emerald green eyes watching them.

* * *

"How are you doing, amigo?" Fenton, who was dressed in a black tux with a red tie, asked gently.

"I'm doing well," the humanoid said reassuringly, dressed in a plum-colored dress shirt that had marigold sun motif on sleeves with a marigold phoenix on the back with sage tie, dark gray trousers, and black dress shoes. "No sign of Beaks. Either he's "fashionably late" or he's waiting to get me alone."

Both young males were near the refreshment table which was covered with sandwiches, drinks, small desserts, salads, and fancy dips among other things. The entire event was being hosted in large venue that was located near the outskirts of town was decorated with streamers and balloons in gold, black, blue, white, and silver. There was also a banner announcing the ball itself and a large ice sculpture featuring Lady Justice, or at least Earth D's version, who was a duck. It was filled with law enforces, firefighters, doctors, and the rest of Duckburg's human service workers. Of course, it also included the benefactors and the families of said workers along with people representing the charities that the event was meant for and many other respected individuals of the city.

_Respectable in the Eye of the Beholder_, Aaron thought sourly as he caught sight of Glomgold, who had not bothered to dress at all, while Owlson, who wore a tasteful and gorgeous Mayan blue cocktail dress.

As opposed to her dour and rude counterpart, Zan was happily waving, shaking hands, and nodding with cheerful and sincere smile, proving which of the two was not only the more kind but also the more sociable.

"How are my boys?" Gloria, who wore a delightful ruby red A-line gown, said as she came over. "Any sign of that nuisance?"

"Not yet," the young intern said, his eyes roaming over the crowd again.

"I swear, if it weren't for all the charities and the budgets, no one would even think of welcoming that devil to the ball," the Cabrera matriarch vented with a shake of her head.

"Well, maybe if we're lucky, he won't see Aaron or he'll be too busy running off his mouth to notice," the blooming young scientist muttered.

"One can only hope," the auburn-haired young man grumbled slightly.

All three attitudes quickly changed when they saw the residents of McDuck Manor entered who, upon seeing them, waved before making their way over to them, the eldest duck nodding and shaking hands as they walked through the crowd.

"You guys look great tonight!" Aaron said with a grin.

"Thanks! So do you guys!" Webby piped up cheerfully.

"Heads up, Mr. McDuck," the young Latino drake said urgently to the richest duck in Duckburg as he glared daggers at the aggressive duck who was heading their way.

Instantly the world's greatest adventurer and his family turned to face the second-rate CEO, Scrooge saying in a cool tone, "Hello, Glomgold."

"Ah, look who came here with guns blazing," Glomgold scoffed, eyeing the undauntable housekeeper and young Kree hatefully. "You think I wouldn't show because you brought your maid and your thug with you, did you? Well, I got news for you; you were wrong!"

Face contorting into an angry scowl, the Scottish drake coldly replied, "First of all, Aaron is NOT a thug. Secondly, I could careless if you came because this isn't about you. It's about the people who work their kind keisters off helping those on a daily basis. This young lad and Owlson understand that. Why don't you?"

"And for the record, I didn't come with Mr. McDuck. I came with these two," the young Kree said firmly, hands on the shoulders of both mother and son who were staring down the greedy drake.

Before Glomgold could spit further abuse, something out of the corner of his eye caused him to stop, his eyes to widen, and his beak to drop open. Confused, all the others turned to look and everybody but the Cabreras and humanoid followed the aggressive duck's example. A female duck who looked to be older than Gloria but still very attractive, strode through the crowd. Her golden blonde hair was fashioned into a French braid and her dark emerald eyes shined with a cool mischief that went well with her composed but mirthful smile. Her rich eyes matched her emerald green gown as her gold jewelry did same for her hair. Even the way in which she held her small but expensive-looking, clasp purse boasted of class.

"Do you guys know her?" Aaron probed with perplexity.

"Goldie O'Gilt," both rich ducks said in unison.

"Is she an old friend?" Fenton asked as well, tone curious but polite as he and Aaron saw the shine in Scrooge's eye.

"If you can call it that," the retired agent mumbled under her breath.

Before anyone could say anything else, both ducks began running after her, shoving each other the whole while.

When his eyes dropped from looking at the two drakes to the kids, the auburn-haired young man was startled and dumbfounded to see a four looking like they wanted to laugh.

* * *

Not long after seeing the gold-loving swindler escape to the outside, Scrooge managed to give his rival the slip, so as to not giveaway his or Goldie's positions. Not that they would be alone for long. He spotted the treasure-seeking dame lounging calmly in the venue's veranda, looking calmly up at the Moon.

"It's been awhile Scroogie," Goldie said, voice smirking at him.

"It's been a couple of months," the Scottish drake replied with a calm voice. "What are you doing here Goldie?"

"I've seen you've adopted another bairn into your brood," the sweet-talking trickster said, not answering the question and saying the last part of the sentence with a mocking Scottish accent. "Starshooter, right?"

"Starcaster," the eldest duck corrected firmly, feeling his heartbeat pick up a little as those dark emerald orbs, glittering in the moonlight, met his.

"The whole world practically knows. Especially what happened in Italy," Goldie continued. "Quite the celebrity, I here."

"Leave the boy alone," Scrooge said warningly.

"So what? Only you get to interact with creatures of legend? That's not fair," the gold-loving swindler inquired, pouting with false hurt eyes.

"Life's not always fair. I learned that some time ago," the world's greatest adventurer rebuked somberly, thousands of regrets slinking around in the dark of his mind. "What are you up to?"

Suddenly, a loud male voice sounded from inside the venue caused the richest duck in Duckburg to look back at the door, "Everyone, may I have your attention, please and thank you! It's time to start the award and donation announcements."

Turning back around he saw, to his surprise and disappointment, Goldie was gone.

* * *

Chief Abigail Hatchway, a female Orpington hen who was in her late fifties, stood proudly in her black dress behind the podium. Aaron had met her multiple times when he dropped off a lunch Gloria had forgotten and had delivered the cake that she had ordered for her grandson's first birthday a few weeks ago. Suffice to say, he liked the sharp but thoughtful woman as much as he did Gloria and Beakley.

"First, I would like to thank you all for being here," she said with a smile. "Especially those of you who we all know have full plates. It does my heart good to see people acknowledge the hard-working heroes of Duckburg. Whether or not they have secret identities."

A few people laughed, the young Kree and Cabreras being three of them.

"I would also like to thank those who catered the event and helped us find the venue," Hatchway continued. "But most of all, I would to thank the Fire Chief Dale Hartley whose cousin supplied us with the beautiful sculpture that represents not only the duty of the police but also the duty of all those who ensure that they do their jobs without fear and with the citizens of Duckburg in mind."

A loud round of applause echoed through the venue before the chief of police continued, "Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's move on to the donations. The charities that will benefit from these very donations also include The Village of Mothers, Change for Chicks, Friends of the Wild, Clean Slide, and Terra Caretakers. The first donation is five thousand dollars, courtesy of some of our strong and standing mom-and-pop businesses. Second donation is seven thousand dollars from our newer additions who bring new life to our city as the old ones maintain our history."

The humanoid's attention was torn away from the speech when he noticed the eldest duck returning to the group. His eyes widened a bit when he saw the tense look edging itself on the face of the richest duck in Duckburg. Suddenly, the auburn-haired young man felt alarmed himself.

"Eighty million dollars from Glomgold Industries," Hatchway said out loud, momentarily catching Aaron's attention.

The young Kree looked to see that whilst the amicable professional was nodding with politeness and humility, Glomgold was cackling and doing a childish jig, making many of those around him back away in annoyance and disdain.

"Eighty-five million from McDuck Enterprises," the law enforcing hen continued, paying no mind to the disturbance.

Aaron could barely keep himself from snickering scornfully at the flabbergasted second-rate CEO. Even the female owl herself seemed to be taking enjoyment in the older anthro's personal defeat.

As the listing of donations came to an end, Hatchway added, "And lastly, one-hundred thousand from Waddle."

At the mention of his unwanted suitor's company, the humanoid's head swiveled around before feeling a surge of relief to see that the ambitious young CEO was not there.

"It appears that in spite of his generous donation, Mark Beaks was unable to make it," Hatchway commented politely. "Now, onto-"

She was stopped when the venue doors were kicked open, a horribly familiar voice spoke, "Wassup, people!"

Gasps and a few cheers rose, as oppose to the young Kree and group of anthros who turned in silent displeasure to see the rich parrot, dressed in a too-white tuxedo, leaning against the door with a smirk on his beak. A smirk that everyone in the group looked ready to slap right off.

"Sorry, I'm late! Had to look nice for this special night," the attention-seeking parrot said proudly. "And I was busy my special little gift for the DPD!"

Everyone gathered towards the entrance, whispering nervously, and were met with the back of a truck trailer. Taking a remote out of his pocket, Beaks smugly pressed a large button, triggering the door of the trailer to open. They were greeted with darkness before red and blue lights brightened out of the darkness. Out strode a robot that had a cylindrical body but an angular head and was almost as tall as the building itself. It had police lights on its head, a visor, and the DPD insignia on its chassis. All four of its limbs were brawny and it looked downright menacing.

"Say hello to the Enforcer!" the social-media obsessed avian said proudly. "Duckburg's first crime-preventing robot. This baby observes even the slightest hint of criminal activity and catches the perp in the act before you can say 'Like and Subscribe!' The days of tracking down to serve warrants after the criminals get away are over!"

Murmurs of fascination clashed with grumbles of hostility, the latter being from many of the police, especially those who had dealt with Mark before. In the court sense.

The auburn-haired young man couldn't say or do anything but try to focus on something else, particularly on the group who was currently surrounding him in a protective manner.

However, they could not protect him from the shiver of apprehension as he felt the attention-seeking parrot's eyes lock onto his body, most likely taking the shiver of fear as a sign of pleasure.

* * *

Aaron felt like he was trapped in a haze, mind silently buzzing, as the night went on, only becoming aware when he felt a presence in front of him.

"Would you like to dance?" a sweet female voice asked.

The humanoid looked up to see a female canine anthro, who looked to be in her late teens, with shoulder-length black hair in a lavender sundress shyly scuffed the floor with her low-heel, white slippers. He saw that nearly everyone had hooked up with a partner and were slow-dancing to the soft but strong music being played. He saw that Gloria and Fenton, who were having a mother-son dance, had stopped to watch whether their beloved young Kree would accept.

A biting his lip for a second, he smiled tentatively as he pushed himself off the wall he was leaning against and offered his hand, "Why not?"

Eagerly taking his hand, she allowed Aaron to lead her to a space on the dance floor. Taking her hand in one while using the other to place her free hand on his shoulder before using the other to cup her back, he took control. Slowly, the steps began to turn into small spins, twists, and dips. Quite a few dancing couples stopped to marvel at the auburn-haired young man's moves.

"Hey, you're quite good," his partner giggled. "Who taught you?"

"An old friend of mine," Aaron said casually with a shrug and a smile. "We were practicing dancing for prom. Well, her prom anyway. I didn't go to her school."

He didn't mention how his "school" was his home and his only teachers were his godmother and some of the older Skrulls.

"Really? That was nice," she replied.

"Would have been nicer if her date wasn't a cheating scumbag," the humanoid mumbled, causing his partner to gasp. "Sorry. Anyway, we got him back."

"It's okay. How?" the young female asked curiously.

"Well, a few days after we found out, I planted a box of you-know-what in his room," the young Kree explained. "His parents were the conservative type. When his Mom, cleaned his room later and found them, boy did she and his dad let him have it. He was grounded from going to prom and all of the summer. Then my friend told the girl he was cheating on her with all the truths to the lies he told her to hook up with her; that he was a vegetarian, that he was into the arts, all that stuff. She didn't speak to him for the rest of high school. And the rest of the girls refused to go out with him."

"And what about you and your friend," the young anthro asked, smiling with anticipation.

"We spent prom going to the movies, then the carnival, and then out for sundaes," the auburn-haired young man said, sighing nostalgically. "Then she and I went to the lake where we danced to the sound of Whitney Houston."

"Sounds like this friend was more than a friend," the female smiled knowingly. "I'm Tori by the way."

"Well, you know me as Starcaster but I suppose it wouldn't hurt to let you call me Aaron," the auburn-haired young man said smiling before he noticed something and glanced to the side.

Scrooge was slow-dancing with the female duck they had seen earlier. But something about the dance seemed…strange. It had an atmosphere of spite but attraction. The Scottish drake and his dance partner were staring each other down with challenging, sly stares. Their movements sharp and on the brink of losing control.

As the couples drew close together, Aaron spoke, "Who's your friend?"

Before the richest duck in Duckburg had a chance to respond, his partner spoke, "The name's Goldie. Goldie O'Gilt."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the humanoid nodded politely. "This is Tori."

Both ducks nodded at Tori before Goldie spoke, "So, Starcaster, right? New hero of Duckburg. How much cash do you rake in?"

"Goldie," Scrooge began reprimanding.

"Well, I haven't gotten a check yet but if I ever do, it's going straight to charity," the young Kree smile sincerely but blinked when the treasure-seeking dame gave him a pitying and condescending smile.

"I see that the boy scout next door with a hero complex is the new bad boy rebel without a cause," the sweet-talker trickster commented with a smile though her voice was rich with disapproval.

"Okay, that's enough out of you," the world's greatest adventurer bluntly said as he began directing her in the opposite direction while shooting the young dancers an apologetic look.

A few minutes after, a young male pig approached them cautiously, "May I cut in, please?"

Upon seeing Aaron's understanding face, Tori took the pig's hand and allowed him to guide her away.

No sooner had they left did the humanoid feel a tap on his shoulder, leading him to turn around and come face to face with the down-to-earth business woman who held out her hand, "Need a new partner."

The auburn-haired young man smiled a friendly smile as he took her hand and they twirled on the floor.

After a few moments, Aaron spoke, "So, how have things been?"

"Good as they can be," the female owl shrugged sheepishly. "Thank goodness Mr. Glomgold's antics haven't harmed the charities."

"Would he care if they did?" the young Kree suddenly blurted. "Sorry, it's just- You know, what? I'm not sorry. How does a selfish bully like him have a company when all he does is hurt people?"

"That's an issue I'm trying to resolve," Owlson said, voice filled with exhaustion. "He doesn't make it easy though."

"It shouldn't be hard for him to get off his high horse and show the people around him an ounce of respect and kindness. Including people like you," Aaron continued as he dipped her before bring her back up. "You need to do something. If this goes on, it's gonna spread to the employees. I don't know how he gets people working for him either. I bet he doesn't even consider how his actions not only have an impact on you but those who work for him."

"Heaven knows I've tried," Owlson sighed.

"Personally, I think you should take full control of the company. Or go start one of your own. Then you can actually do more good work without having to babysit some self-centered, man-child," the humanoid said fiercely.

Zan stared at the auburn-haired young man with a bewildered and slightly hopeful expression when she looked at something over his shoulder and muttered, "Speaking of man-child."

Like an unenjoyable pop-up book, Beaks seemed to materialize out of nowhere, getting in the way of both humanoid and female owl, saying in a hyper and insincere tone while grinning eagerly and never taking his eyes of the other male, "Cut-in!"

Aaron felt his heart drop as he was whisked away from the amicable professional, feeling Beak's hands tighten on one hand and the small of his back. He saw a look of urgent concern on Zan's face before he was whisked away. As oppose to the gentleness of dancing with Tori and Owlson, Mark's movements were energetic and abrupt as he was. His stomach sank as he saw no sign of either of the Cabreras. The auburn-haired young man felt like a lost child with a sleazy stranger on a roller coaster ride he couldn't wait to get off.

"So, what did you think of my new invention?" the ambitious young CEO inquired excitedly. "Pretty neat, right?"

"It looks quite efficient, yes," the young Kree nodded simply with a polite town.

He had heard horror stories online and from some of his mother's co-workers about victims of unwanted suitors and obsessive interlopers who played it cool and sincere to get out of their situations. That's what he needed to do, at least until he found a way out of this.

"Can't tell you how boring it was waiting to show that bad boy off," the attention-seeking parrot continued with a tone of great self-importance. "Barely got the guys at the lab to finish up in time. You be surprised by how fast eggheads work when they're under pressure and their jobs are on the line."

Sensing the hidden meaning behind his words, Aaron nearly slapped the smirk off the social-media obsessed avian's face.

However, the humanoid calmly said, "It is true that working under pressure is preferred by some others. I knew people like that growing up."

It was the truth too as Soren, a few other Skrulls, Mar-Vell, and a couple of the humans he knew and met growing up seemed to focus more when the situation was pressed for time.

"See? We get each other," Beaks said eagerly, grinning that the one he had scoped out for so long appeared to, in his mind, be giving him leeway. "They don't know how hard it is to run a cool company while trying to stay up-to-date! Speaking of which, who's Blocko?"

The Mark seemed to say the last part with jealousy and mild annoyance as he pulled up his phone and almost shoved it into the other's face. Aaron looked curiously before his eyes widened as he saw that it was a video of him and Chispero fighting Apexis in the desert location.

"Somebody took a video with their drone," the attention-seeking parrot said before repeating in an anxious and slightly frustrated town. "Who is he?"

"Just a friend I met who needed help fighting a monster," the young Kree said firmly, putting on an unintimidated and honest expression.

The social-media obsessed avian squinted his eyes suspiciously before instantly relaxing and smiling, "Aww, I know you would never cheat on me, my Starbright."

Before the auburn-haired young man even had a chance to reply, perhaps throw an insult or excuse himself, he felt the hand cupping the small of his back move lower, almost eliciting a yelp of surprise and humiliation. He was then dipped again, this time his hair almost brushing against the ground but that wasn't what alarmed him.

It was the social-media obsessed avian closing his eyes and drawing his puckering beak close to his lips.

By some miracle, the would-have-been one-sided kiss was interrupted by a tall, snotty-looking, middle-aged canine anthro in a business suit pulling Beaks away. Thankfully, Aaron managed to straighten himself up.

"Mr. Beaks, I would like to congratulate you on your fine invention," the anthro said with a sickeningly sweet smile to rival that of the ambitious young CEO. "How much are you willing to accept so I may have two or so as bodyguards for my summer home?"

Taking the distraction to slip away, the young Kree had barely jumped into the crowd when he came face to face with the relieved but still-worried faces of Fenton and Gloria.

"Are you okay?" the young Latino drake asked. "We saw what he was trying to do! We're so sorry, hermano! M'ma had to use the bathroom and I got a call from Gyro, ranting about the video of the Enforcer that people put up."

"That dirty troublemaker didn't hurt you, did he?" the older Latina duck asked fearfully.

"I'm fine," Aaron softly reassured before adding. "Just glad to be away from that creep."

After getting the humanoid to sit down with a can of Pep, Fenton went to fetch the rest Scrooge and company while Gloria stayed with the auburn-haired young man despite his protests. Even though Aaron said he fine, the truth was that he wasn't. He felt angry at himself for not speaking up and yet had feared confrontation. Not only was he aware that the attention-seeking parrot was no match for his natural superhuman strength but that it would be ridiculous for him to turn a civilian problem into a fight. It wasn't like Mark had been armed or was making a murder confession. Heck, all the guy did was try to kiss him, which didn't rank that high. Perhaps if it had been someone else, then Aaron would have snapped and done something. But it wasn't.

"Aaron?" the Cabrera matriarch probed softly. "Are you okay?"

Taking a breath, the young Kree said, "I'm fine. I guess I just feel a little…embarrassed. And I feel guilty for feeling that way because I could have stood up to him."

By this time, Gloria had taken a seat beside the humanoid and spoke, "Honey, it wasn't your fault. Everyday, people like that vile Mark Beaks prey on people and then those people go on to think it was their fault."

"That's just it; I'm not like other people. First of all, I wasn't harmed in any physical or emotional way, not like actual assault victims," the auburn-haired young man insisted. "And second, I could have told him off like everybody else has. Maybe shoved him for good measure. It's just that I'm aware that I can cause more damage than any Terran ever could. But then I would be worse than the instigator."

"Oh honey," the older Latina duck cooed as she rubbed circles on Aaron's back. "You could never cause harm to someone less strong than you. And even if you did, we know it wouldn't be over something meaningless."

As the young Kree saw Webby heading their way, "Hey Webby! Enjoying yourself?"

"I grabbed the last of the dark chocolate raspberry truffles," the female duckling said proudly before seeing the exhausted and tense looks on both hero and police officer's faces. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing that was serious," the humanoid reassured.

The retired agent's daughter nodded though looked like she barely believed him before asking softly, "Do you wanna dance?"

Smiling, Aaron began to extend his hand to take hers, "It would be my-"

He was cut off when a loud crash and scream filled the room.

Jumping up, he saw that the Enforcer was looming maliciously over a group of people crowding around three injured police officers. Lifting a fist high as it could manage, it prepared to bring it down on the group. That was until three cans were thrown at its head. Everyone, including the bot itself, turned their heads to see the triplets glaring defiantly up at the metal bully.

"Back off, you waste of aluminum foil!" Dewey spat.

The Enforcer's response was its visor turning a angry, lava red before a laser shot out, the boys barely missing them.

"It has lasers?!" Huey screamed in disbelief.

At that moment, everyone began to scream and flee. In less than a minute, Aaron found himself separated from Gloria and Webby but managed to stand his ground as people frantically shoved past him. More than once, he caught someone who was about to hit the ground before ushering them outside, saving them from being stampeded by everyone else. Looking around, he felt relief as he saw that all the officers, firefighters, and other human service workers help the citizens get to safety. He nearly fell backward as he crashed into the down-to-earth business woman.

"Zan, what happened?!" the humanoid demanded.

"Glomgold dropped his trash on the ground and then ordered a sanitation worker attending the ball to pick up. When the Enforcer tried to arrest him for littering, disturbance of the peace, and being a public nuisance, he started screaming insults at it," the female owl replied looking both alarmed and aggravated. "Trust Glomgold to provoke and anger a police robot to commit violence!"

"Get outside! I'll deal with this," the auburn-haired young man said as he pushed her into the grasp of a female canine officer.

"Be careful!" Owlson shouted as she was led to safety.

Aaron felt relief as the venue was evacuated, which would leave him to fight the rogue mechanoid without worrying about civilians. However, his heart fell when he saw that Gloria, Scrooge, Donald, Mrs. Beakley, the triplets, and Webby had stayed. The only one of the group who was no present was Fenton.

_Of course, they stayed_, the young Kree thought anxiously.

He then saw that the uncle of three was shaking and hyperventilating, his whole body turning a bright, harsh tomato color, no doubt angry that the bot had tried to fry his boys. Before anyone had time to react, the short-tempered duck raced up to the Enforcer and began hitting and kicking it with all his might. His family joined in as well, each of them armed with a weapon of some sort. Even Gloria had taken out a taser from somewhere on her person but shooting it proved to be a failure as it had no effect.

Aaron looked around for a weapon of his own but stopped as he saw something. It was a firehose compartment against the wall, the white hose standing out like a beacon of hope. Grinning, he raced towards it, jumping over fallen tables, pieces of debris, and personal belongings that had been dropped. As he got to it, he ripped it open and grabbed it, but not before the Enforcer had had enough and flung Donald off him, sending the uncle of three crashing into a standing table with a crash.

"Uncle Donald!" the triplets yelled in unison as they raced to check on their fallen guardian.

When the rogue bot appeared to be ready to shoot a laser at them, the sound of shattering glass halted its attack. All eyes fell on the one who had crashed through the window.

Shaking off the glass, Gizmoduck said, "I hope the venue people blame that on the Enforcer. Maybe we can give them some of the donations to fix it."

"Gizmoduck!" the eldest triplet cheered.

Gritting his teeth, the mechanical-suited drake began to fly around the mechanoid, shouting, "Try and get me, rust bucket!"

The Enforcer turned all of its attention towards the one flying in circles around it, not watching anything else or anyone else. Using this opportunity, Aaron ran towards it, hose in hand, before he began to circle it. Catching on, Scrooge, Beakley, Gloria, and Webby helped to ensure that the hose was wrapping tautly around the rogue bot's legs.

Once they were done, they all began to vacate from the area around the mechanoid as the richest duck in Duckburg shouted at the techno hero, "Give it a good punch, lad!"

Following the eldest duck's advice quickly, Gizmoduck revved back before slamming his fist into the Enforcer's head. Unable to steady itself due to the hose keeping its legs tied together, the mechanoid fell down with a hard _thud! _However, just as they were about to start cheering, a ominous creaking and crackling sound began to ring out. They looked to see that the vibrations from the bot had caused the ice sculpture to start fracturing and separating from its base.

As it began to wobble, the undauntable housekeeper screamed, "WEBBY!"

Aaron felt his heart drop as he turned to see the female duckling in the path of the sculpture's growing shadow. She turned to run but lost her footing and fell to the ground while the Cabrera matriarch, who was the nearest, ran to cover the child with her own body.

The young Kree never ran so fast in his life as he screamed, "MOM! WEBBY!"

With one swoop, he shoved the two female anthros out of the way, thankfully not getting caught in the shadow himself, as the sculpture met hard ground and shattered. Everyone was silent as the bluish-white mist of decimated ice dispersed, showing an unmoving pile a couple of feet away. Then it began to move before the two anthros and humanoid pulled away and began to sit up.

A collective sigh of relief swept through them all as they gathered around the three. Scrooge, Beakley, the triplets, and a dazed but now-conscious Donald swooped the retired agent's granddaughter into a mass of hugs. Gloria was quickly helped up by the mechanical-suited drake who she knew to be her son before hugging him. Only Aaron was left sitting on the floor, still in shock at all that happened.

Turning from the older Latina drake, the techno hero smiled as he offered his hand to the auburn-haired young man to help him up, "We did it, amigo."

Smiling, the young Kree grabbed the hand and was about to stand when he suddenly let go and fell back, clutching his left leg, "Ah!"

Immediately, everyone halted and rushed over, the female duckling asking, "What's wrong?"

Gently pulling the humanoid's hands away from the area he was clutching, he felt nausea wash over him as he saw a large dark blue splotch staining his pant leg along with a sizable tear. Carefully rolling up the fabric, he saw that a clean but deep slit ran from the bottom to the top of the outside of his left calf, no doubt left by a flying shard of ice.

"Boys, run outside and grab a nurse or a doctor!" the retired agent ordered to which all three obeyed without hesitation.

Meanwhile, four pairs of hands, one of them being the owner of the injury, pressed a fallen piece of curtain on the wound, trying to stop the bleeding. Upon seeing the faces of those acting as his back-up tourniquets, the young Kree felt a strange sensation as looks of determination and devotion were etched onto their faces.

* * *

"Well, I'm use to patients with red blood and feathers or fur, I'm proud to say that Mr. Starcaster here can leave for home in an hour or so," the doctor, a male pig named Dr. Wally Hampton, said with a smile as the group of duck anthros standing beside the young Kree breathed a sigh of relief. "Just remembered to keep the wound clean and give him one pain killer every eight hours. Though, with this fast healing ability of his I doubt any problems will arise. Just remember to come back in next week to get the stitches removed."

"Thank you," Gloria almost sobbed.

"It's my pleasure," the doctor nodded before frowning. "Makes me glad I took my colleague's shift tonight. Though I have a code of ethics, I will say this; Mr. Beaks and Mr. Glomgold will not have a happy check-up the next time I see them, I'll make sure of that."

The medical pig then left the room, leaving the group and his patient alone to talk.

"How are you feeling?" Donald asked worriedly.

"A little sore but nothing too severe," the auburn-haired young man reassured.

"Dude, where did you go?" Louie asked the young intern.

"I was carried away from the crowd and I couldn't get back in," the blooming young scientist quickly said.

"Is this any good?" Launchpad inquired as he poked at a cup of red Jell-O on the stand next to Aaron.

"I have no idea and honestly, I just want to go home, take a warm bath, have a hot fudge sundae with cookies and cream, banoffee, and coffee ice cream with salted caramel sauce, and cuddle with Nutmeg," the humanoid sighed in exhaustion.

"Late night ice cream trip!" the blue-clothed triplet shouted excitedly.

"Normally, I would recommend against eating sweets this late but I think we've all been through enough tonight," Beakley said with a small smile.

"Dude, check this out!" the youngest brother shouted as he made his way onto the bed while offering Aaron his phone. "Look at all the get wells you're getting! Some people asked if they can come over and give you company! Though they worded it weird."

Grabbing Louie, the eldest duck carefully pulled him off the bed while saying to Aaron, "We're all proud of you and glad you're gonna be okay."

"Thank you, Mr. McDuck," Aaron nodded with a blush and a smile. "Do you guys mind if I talk to Webby, Fenton, and Gloria alone, please?"

Both retired agent and the world's greatest adventurer exchanged understanding glances before the latter spoke, "Of course, we'll all wait outside. C'mon everyone."

"We'll discuss what flavors to get from the shop outside," Beakley said softly as she urged everyone out while giving a reassuring wink at her confused granddaughter.

"I call Rocky Road and Butterscotch Ripple," the pilot/driver yelled excitedly.

"I'm getting Mint Chip!" Huey chimed in.

No one saw the Scottish drake pat Fenton's shoulder as he passed while whispering, "You did great as always."

The young Latino drake grin before the three were left alone with the auburn-haired young man, being the first to ask, "What is it?"

The blush has not left Aaron's face as he bit his lip and spoke cautiously to both Cabreras, "When I said 'Mom' earlier…how did it make you two feel?"

Both paused for a moment before the older Latina duck asked carefully, "Why do you ask?"

"I want to know if what I said was alright," the humanoid replied worriedly. "Is it?"

A second later, both were hugging him tightly, nuzzling him as they did so. Aaron felt his heart melt as the wetness on his back indicated tears.

"You can call me Mom," the Cabrera matriarch whispered joyfully. "Just so as long as I get to call you Estrellito."

"And I get to call you Hermanito," the young intern added. "I'm still biologically older than you."

That caused all three to laugh before they pulled away and the young Kree turned to Webby as he patted the space on the bed, "Come up here, Webby."

The retired agent's granddaughter quickly obliged, asking with curiosity, "What is it?"

"Webby, I want you to know that since meeting you, I've grown to care about you immensely," Aaron explained. "And it wasn't until tonight that I realized that I have come to care for you in the same way I care about Fenton and Mom. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind being my little sister?"

Just like the Cabreras, Webby wasted no time in giving Aaron a massive hug as she happily said, "I've always wanted an older sibling."

Joy rushed through the humanoid once more as the Cabreras joined in the hug, making the young Kree feel a familiar warmth he had not felt in a long time.

* * *

Zan didn't even care if her coffee was cold as she took another sip, her eyes never leaving her phone screen that displayed the events that took place barely four hours ago.

Roxanne Featherly spoke loud and clear, _"Our top story tonight; the Annual Duckburg's Policeman and Firefighter's Ball ends in disaster when the new crime-preventing robot, donated by Waddle CEO Mark Beaks, malfunctioned after being mistreated by Flintheart Glomgold, CEO of Glomgold Industries. While it is fortunate to report that only one person was hurt, it is with a heavy heart to reveal that it was none other than Duckburg's latest hero, Starcaster, who was taken to Duckburg Emergency Hospital. Although the injury was not fatal, many citizens are expressing outrage over the ruination of the ball, which has not seen this much chaos since the failed robbery back in 2015 by the notorious Beagle Boy gang. There is also mass upset over what some citizens and commenters are calling a 'subtle hate crime' against the young hero who sources have revealed to have come out as non-heterosexual. And to add insult to injury, an unrevealed portion of the money donated was discovered to be missing. While there is still an ample amount of the donations are left, emotions are still running high over the injustice done against this event that is suppose to symbolize justice and altruism." _

Unable to hear or see anymore, the female owl paused the video as she face-palmed, "What am I gonna do?"

Not only the guilt of knowing that someone who she called friend was injured, but she had no doubts that the whole situation painted Glomgold industries with a red letter. It was especially obvious when they had returned to the company once making sure Aaron got to the hospital safely (well, she did anyway) and discovered the vandalism. Someone had scrawled "HOMOPHOBES" in every color on the building.

This was ridiculous! Sure, she knew that the majority of the retaliation was aimed at the company's founder but she herself felt like she was being punished! Her attempts to turn the abused power and profit of Glomgold industries into a force of good was circling the drain of failure. She felt fed up, angry, sorrow, and shame all at the same time. The talk she had with Aaron that night returned with a vengeance and buzzed around in her head. However, she was too tired to go through such thoughts.

Feeling like all the life had been drained from her, the down-to-earth business woman poured the rest of her coffee down the sink and was about to head to the bathroom when her phone buzzed, signaling a message.

"What now?" she groaned loudly.

She wanted to ignore it but figured that she might as well see what new disaster was upon the company. Opening the message, she began reading it. And as she did so, her eyes widened in confusion and surprise.

It read-

_I have the solution to all your problems. Meet me tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning sharp at the marina. In the meantime, check out what I have planned. _

_-P.S. Your friend, B. _

The amicable professional saw that there was a document attached to it. Tapping it, she waited for it to load before she saw the contents.

A minute later, her beak formed a hopeful and excited smile.

Over at Waddle, a certain parrot got a similar message.

* * *

Here is Chapter 9! Again, sorry for the long wait! "Estrellito" is Spanish for "Little Star," not unlike how Gloria's name for Fenton is "Pollito" is Spanish for "Little Chick." This fic has three chapters left to go before we dive into the sequel that I'm excited to post! Happy Reading!


	10. Chapter 10: Friends Are There Too

Chapter 10: Friends Are There Too

"Are you sure you're okay with this?" Donald asked nervously from where he stood at the bus stop with two suitcases at his side. "I don't have to go, you know? It's only a few feathers."

"Oh no, you're not getting out of this," Aaron said firmly but had an encouraging and trusting smile. "You need this vacation. Remember what the doctor said."

"But I can't be the only person in the world molting!" the sailor-suited drake protested.

"Again, the doctor said that it's just the first of many stress-related ailments to come but can be fixed with a little R&R," the humanoid reminded him patiently. "And nobody wants you to be in hospice care before the Dewey, Louie, and Huey's next birthday."

"I still can't believe you convinced Uncle Scrooge to pay for me to go on a cruise," Donald replied, giving in to the reassurances.

The several days before, when Aaron had gone to get his stitches out early (thank you fast healing factor), he had bumped into the uncle of three at the hospital. The short-tempered duck had tried to be vague about why he was there until his prescription fell from his shirt pocket and the auburn-haired young man had caught it and read it. When his attempts at denial of the prescription and excuses failed, Donald confessed that he was suffering from stress-related molting. The explanation was emphasized when bundle of feathers fell to the floor like autumn leaves.

That same afternoon, the young Kree had reported his discovery to Scrooge, the kids, and Storkules who was visiting the manor that day. It did not take much convincing for Aaron to get them all to agree that the sailor-suited drake needed some time off. While hesitant at first, the triplets and Webby had reassured them that they would be fine and that they not only had Scrooge, Beakley, and Launchpad but Aaron as well to look after them. Donald had finally relented, though he couldn't help but still protest here and there like he was now.

"C'mon, you're gonna love it," the young Kree said with a gentle smile. "Picture it; you on the S.S. 40 Winks. No stress in any way. No phones, no TV to upset you with horrid news, no car horns, or anything. Just you and the sea on a cruise ship that offers an unlimited buffet from every part of the Earth, a built in movie theatre, lively but not too energetic music, and a hammock by the poolside with all the tropical beverages you could drink. It even has a noise-free library and spa, complete with aromatherapists and masseuses. For a whole month."

"It does sound wonderful," the uncle of three sighed, tantalized by the description. "And you're certain you can help Scrooge, Beakley, and Launchpad watch the boys and Webby?"

"Donald, I've been to the Moon," Aaron said confidently. "And I've babysat before, don't forget. I've got time in the morning, during my breaks, and after work. I think I can handle my sister plus three."

A soft, warm smile crossed both their faces as they remembered how quick Webby was to call the humanoid her big brother. Their thoughts were interrupted as the bus that would take Donald to where the cruise ship would soon be departing.

Picking up both suitcases as the bus doors open, the sailor-suited drake ventured into the bus and said as the doors closed, "Tell the kids I love them! And good luck!"

As the auburn-haired young man waved and nodded as the bus drove off, he said to himself, "I can do this. I've hung out with the kids before. How hard can it be?"

Famous. Last. Words.

* * *

The day after Donald's departure Aaron had gotten up extra early to fix some carrot zucchini apple muffins with cream cheese frosting. Somewhat healthy and delicious, surely the short-tempered duck would approve. Now that the residents of the manor recognized him as Webby's sibling, and thereby part of their family as well as part of the Cabreras, he would come and go as he pleased. With this in mind, he decided to go around and surprise the kids when he suddenly felt a strange sensation in the back of his head.

It was almost…foreboding.

Trying to push it out of his mind, he rounded the corner that would lead to the backyard, eagerly announcing, "Who wants a mu-?"

The question died on his tongue as he was greeted with an impossible sight. Zombies, evident by their worn and horrifyingly rotted bodies, torn clothes, and literal and metaphorically dead eyes, ran about the backyard. The ground was dotted with sizable holes that the undead were using to crawl out of the earth they had been buried in and stand again.

But what really got his attention were the zombies chasing Huey and Webby who were screaming their lungs out.

Slamming the muffins on the nearby table, Aaron jumped into action as he sprinted towards the pursuing undead and used his strength to knock them to the ground, "Back off you walking sacks of worm food!"

The attack against their brethren had not gone unnoticed by the other risen-from-the-grave walkers, turning their attention to the interfering auburn-haired young man who had pushed the two ducklings behind him, ready to fight.

"What happened here?!" Aaron demanded as his eyes remained zoned on the approaching zombies.

"We were watching the Necronomic-Cassette," the red-clothed triplet said frantically. "We wanted to see if it would really raise the dead!"

"And we got our answer!" the bubblegum-clothed duckling jumped looking sheepish.

"Just find a way to reverse this while I take care of these bags of bones," the young Kree said firmly before he charged at them.

As his fist went through the first zombie skull, he wondered if anyone would believe he was late getting back to work because he was preventing a zombie apocalypse.

But a certain part of his mind told him that, somehow, they would.

* * *

Thankfully, it took less than half an hour for Aaron to fend off the undead until the oldest of the triplets found an incantation to send the ghouls back to their dirt-sodden resting places. He only had time to make the two ducklings promise to never delve into the black arts regarding death again and give them the muffins. While he was ten minutes later, he found that no one was complaining.

Upon trying to apologize he was reassured by Lorraine, a sweet middle-aged duck with pale yellow feathers and medium brown hair with touches of gray, she waved him off, saying in her sweet, Southern accent, "Honey, I've seen enough weird things in this city to give me something to keep me on the phone with relatives for hours."

When lunch hit, he had quickly gobbled down his Asian noodle salad topped with hardy chunks of tofu before heading off to the manor to water the plants on Donald's house boat. While performing his task, he admired the photos that depicted a timeline of the uncle of three doting and caring for his boys like they were his sons. It reminded him of how he would go off to watch and interact with the older males of the neighborhood and learn stories and talents from them.

His nostalgia was cut short as a loud boom of thunder and the monstrous crack of lightning nearly caused him to drown the poor fern he was watering.

Running outside to see how bad the storm was, he felt his heart nearly drop when he saw Dewey being held by Storkules, both barely dodging a bolt of lightning that struck the deck, leaving a shadowy black scorch mark. Something he would have to clean up. When the legendary hero relinquished the middle triplet, Aaron was again surprised when he saw that Dewey hovered in midair, no doubt due to the winged slippers on his feet.

"What's going on now?!" the young Kree exclaimed as he came to stand besides the benevolent Greek god.

The blue-clothed duckling flew to levitate in front of the auburn-haired young man as he proudly announced, "Guess, who's a god now?"

As the young male duckling continued to show off his new flight abilities, Aaron turned to Storkules who explained with a proud smile, "Vigilant friend Starcaster, intrepid Dewey bravely seized the Sandals of Hermes from my chest and is now Messengers of the Gods!"

Another bolt of lightning hit, striking a tree, burning it slightly, which made the immortal anthro add, "Father is most displeased."

The humanoid had heard stories of the arrogant and hot-tempered King of the Greek Gods from both Donald and Scrooge. While he had not had the misfortune of meeting the tyrannical ruler of Ithaquack, he got the impression that Zeus would not have cared to meet him or get to know him either.

"Um, he's just jealous because I'm the youngest Dew-eity on the block," Dewey insisted smugly.

At that moment, two giant bolts of lightning hit the pool, rocking the boat as they did so, causing Aaron to use Storkules, who once again had the middle Duck brother in his arms, to steady himself.

When it stopped, the legendary hero proceeded to state, "Father has declared war on Dewey Duck."

"What?!" the auburn-haired young man yelled. "Like heck he is! If he wants Dewey, he'll have to go through me!"

"Is that so mortal?!" a voice thundered, causing them all to turn around in time to see Zeus himself descend from the sky on a platform of clouds.

Looking furious.

"Yes," Aaron said sternly.

"Then prepare yourself for a battle you won't soon forget," Zeus thundered, voice and tone matching the ominous clouds surrounding them.

As the humanoid prepped himself for a fight, he felt grateful that he had hidden his and Donald's wings from the kids.

* * *

When Aaron returned to work, no one asked why he was late, many of them having seen the storm, including Lorraine herself who ended up offering the young Kree a sip of tea from her thermos which he gratefully took.

He didn't mean to sound arrogant, but battling Zeus was like battling a hard-headed former football star that had nothing left to fight for but his barely surviving reputation. Yes, the attacks were powerful, but filled with so much anger that it took away from his attacks, almost like an enraged young leopard that was too focused on releasing the anger than controlling its movements. Aaron supposed it helped that Dewey kept distracting the lightning god with his taunts and that Storkules himself was there.

Once Zeus had left, (yelling "I'm counting this as a win"), the young Kree returned back to his work but not before he half reprimanded, half explained to the immortal anthro. He told him that although he trusted him with the kids, he was also expected to better train and protect them when he gave them certain artifacts. The benevolent Greek god nodded in exuberant agreement before whisking an eager Dewey away to teach him how to use the winged sandals.

On the plus side, he had some interesting stories to tell his driving students before and after each test.

Thankfully, it was one of his shorter work days, so it was early mid-evening when he left work and went to the manor the third time that day before he would go home. He was greeted by a rather quiet manor, which only served to heighten Aaron's concern. Thankfully, just as he was about to investigate, Launchpad came out of the kitchen, eating a bag of taco chips.

Almost as if reading his mind, which was surprising for the simple buff drake, Launchpad said, "The kids are playing outside, but I Louie heading for Mr. McD's bedroom."

Thanking the pilot/driver for the help, the auburn-haired young man made his way towards the Scottish drake's sleeping quarters. As he predicted, the door was open just a crack and as he stepped in, he saw the closet door was as well. Quirking an eyebrow, he entered the room and opened the closet door quietly to discover the youngest of the triplets shifting through his granduncle's coat pockets. Stepping in, he was about to ask what the green-clothed triplet was doing when the closet door opened loudly and light poured in due to the bedroom light being switched on, causing both to turn around and see Scrooge.

"What are you doing here?" the eldest duck asked in a confused voice.

The humanoid spoke first, pointing a thumb at Louie, "Looking for him."

"Nothing! Definitely not checking your pockets for spare millions dollar bills!" the youngest of the boys insisted, trying to look innocent.

However, Scrooge shook his head, "No, neither of you. Him!"

Both looked down and were startled to see a small goat with strange eyes.

"Why are you trespassing in my togs goat?" the richest duck in Duckburg demanded suspiciously.

Suddenly, a voice emanated from the furry creature, "I'm no goat. This is merely my terrestrial form."

"What in the galaxy?" the young Kree breathed.

The "goat" then began to levitate and its eyes began to glow and eerie green, "And the laws of man do not apply in the ethereal realm of Goat'hool, a netherworld of treasures untold and petulant orcs. Enter mortals, and ye shall be kings!"

As he said this, a bright green vortex appeared and the not-goat disappeared into it.

"Kings!" Louie shouted in excitement as he jumped in.

"Treasure!" the world's greatest adventurer yelled with determination as he followed.

"Maybe we should've extended Donald's cruise to three months," the humanoid muttered in exhaustion before going in after them.

* * *

"Moon, Earth, and Sun, you guys are gonna be the death of me," the auburn-haired young man murmured under his breath before smiling. "But I love you all anyway."

Of course, he didn't get a reply as the kids were asleep on the couch, curled up around him, Webby and Dewey resting their heads on his right lap while Huey and Louie with theirs on his left. It was night time but rather than go home, Aaron had immediately decided that he would finally get the kids together for a meal as so many babysitters had done for him and the other kids they looked after, including their own. So, he had texted his mother and brother that night to tell them that he would be returning home late, which they understood.

Both Beakley and Duckworth were all too happy to allow the young Kree to make a meal for himself and the kids. The meal consisted of turkey burgers with blue cheese aioli on pretzel buns, sweet potato fries, and cauliflower buffalo bites. The kids wasted no time in gobbling them up alongside the peaches and berries rice pudding he made for dessert. And of course, Aaron couldn't deny the female duckling her right to bring some Webbi-Dings, which were balls of dark, milk, and white chocolate with different fillings. Salted caramel, raspberries, peanut butter, birthday cake, cookies and cream, cherries, marshmallows, strawberries, and so on. Honestly, they were delicious and Aaron couldn't help but have more than five.

The humanoid let out a sigh of tired contentment as he leaned his head back, listen to the droning of the TV as _Ottoman Empire _played. In one of hands, he played with a coin he had taken from Goat'Hool which was a worn golden coin the size of a quarter with a Sun on one side and crescent Moon on the other. After all he went through that day, he had developed even more respect for the sailor-suited drake. Poor guy needed that cruise more than anything. Who knows? Maybe he would meet someone nice on the cruise who could possibly end up becoming the triplets' new other parent figure.

The thought itself got Aaron thinking about his own lack of and desire to someday have someone to call his own. Someone to love and share a home with. Someone to have children with, Heavens' willing. And despite the very long Kree lifespan, the auburn-haired young man had no doubt that he would not love another after them.

He was shaken from his thoughts when his phone lit up with a small buzz on the coffee table. Quickly putting the coin away and grabbing it, he opened it to see he had received a text from Sparx, also known as Teri, as oppose to everyone else who continued to call him Chispero. The text read;

_How has babysitting/trial parenthood been? XD_

Rolling his eyes humorously, the young Kree replied back, saying the reply out loud as he did so, "It's going fine."

A few seconds later, he got a text in return that read;

_Pics or you're lying. _

Seeing the smirking emoticon from the got chuckled out of Aaron and fired him up, making him type back, "Okay, then."

Turning off the flash, the humanoid took a quick pic of all four ducklings before sending it with text, "Put that in your programming."

Again, seconds later, he received back;

_Alright. I'm satisfied. But good luck keeping that up until June!_

Before Aaron got a chance to send a sassy text back, he was surprised when the door flew open and an aggravated looking Scrooge stomped in. Snatching the remote, he quickly flipped through the channels before he landed on the news. Both were startled to see not only Roxanne Featherly with pictures of Beaks, Glomgold, and Owlson behind her.

The blonde news reported spoke clear and loud, _"In other news, after weeks of avoiding public appearances, Mark Beaks, Flintheart Glomgold, and Zan Owlson have made an announcement that they are cleaning up their act and forming a new partnership. And what better way to start that than to provide the people with more clean solar energy."_

The humanoid sat up in curiosity and wariness as he whispered, "What?"

"_All three have agreed to fund a new program that will provide unlimited solar energy. This program takes the form of a device called the Solar Energy Streaming Satellite, or SOLENESTRITE," _Featherly continued, a picture popping up with the words she listed, the parts that made up the word boldened. _"The program was created by Miss Nora L. Behck."_

The picture of the words changed to show a female heron who looked to be older than Gloria. She had grayish white feathers and hair that was streaked with black and powder blue, held up in a bun. She wore a white long-sleeved shirt under a red and black vest along with khaki shorts, white gloves, and blue opened-toe sandals with a pair of dark gray framed glasses.

"_Several years prior, Behck was part of the army where she became disheartened with humanity due to the horrors of war. Upon being discharged, she went off the grid and spent her life in the Amazon where she repeatedly sabotaged poachers and protected villages from raiders. But now, after inventing a new invention that could benefit the world, she has decided to give humanity one last helping hand," _the green-feathered female duck continued.

Again, pictures popped up to show the female heron in her army days, holding wild animals she most likely rescued, and her building the device. It then proceeded to show a full-scale picture of the device. It looked like a large skinny satellite but the panels were in a strange angular shape and the whole thing was colored dark red, black, and yellow. The picture itself was taken from another satellite based on the fact that the picture had a good amount of stars and the Earth in it, possibly taken when the device was launched into space.

"Why on Earth would she accept funding from those two-faced twits, Beaks and Glomgold?" the eldest duck asked out loud, sounding more suspicious than angry or offended.

As if answering the one who asked it, Featherly added, _"When we asked Miss Behck why she would go to such notoriously problematic businesses for funding, she had this to say."_

The screen then cut to live footage of Nora L. Behck herself who was smiling as she said in a smooth and charismatic voice, _"Call me Nora, please. Well, as I said before, I'm done turning my back on humanity. This will be a fresh start for me and many others. The SOLENESTRITE, which currently sits at a close but safe proximity to our Sun right now as we speak, will absorb solar energy and transmit it to different regions of the world. Any and all devices that have downloaded the power app will be powered all day and all night. From the most populated cities to remote locations. And because the device lies outside Earth's atmosphere, nothing can interrupt it. Neither rain, snow, hail, or any bad weather can disrupt the transmissions. As to why I chose Waddle and Glomgold Industries to fund the device, I decided since I am giving humanity a second chance, the same should go to those struggling within it."_

The screen then switched to the news reporter standing beside Beaks, Glomgold, and Owlson themselves, the female owl being the first to speak, _"First, we would like to apologize to everyone for the incident last week in regards to the charity event. And we would like to especially apologize to the heroes of the that night, including Starcaster and his family. We hope that this new age of clean energy and better communications can make up for any past faults of either company."_

No sooner had she finish did the greedy drake grab Featherly's arm and pulled the microphone towards him, _"Especially all the times I've lost to Scrooge McDuck!"_

The down-to-earth business woman was quick to pull the aggressive duck away from the mic before looking like she was viciously scolding the older avian, not unlike how a fed-up soccer mom would scold a rebellious preteen. Meanwhile, the attention-seeking parrot snatched the mic, looking a little baffled by the two arguing anthros.

"_Shout out to all my peeps who helped create the app," _Mark said with a gleaming smile before his eyes looked around wildly and slinked up to the camera with a desperate and whispered frantically. _"And Starbright, baby, please! Call me! I've paid like, I don't know, twenty maybe thirty, channels to broadcast my number! Maybe you lost your phone or someone stole it! I would drive by your house but I don't know where you live and I was told that that's "illegal" or whatever! But-!"_

He was unable to finish as the mic was taken back by its owner, who looked annoyed, before smiling at the camera and saying, _"The public launch of the device's activation will be held tomorrow at noon sharp in Duckburg Central Park! Don't miss it!"_

They didn't hear anymore as the richest duck in Duckburg switched the TV off before putting down the remote and looking gravely at the auburn-haired young man, "Something's not right. We have to see what this whole thing is about. Prepare yourself for tomorrow, lad."

As the Scottish drake left the room, Aaron's phone began ringing, playing Air Supply's _All Out Of Love_.

Seeing it was Fenton, Aaron quickly answered it and spoke, "Hey bro, have you seen the news? It's a-!"

He was cut off by the young intern's panicked and apologetic voice, _"I'm so sorry, Hermanito! Please, I didn't mean for this to happen!"_

Startled, the young Kree replied, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, okay? What happened? Are you and Mom alright?"

"_We're fine! It's Nutmeg," _the young Latino drake's voice said, cracking ever so slightly.

Aaron felt like he swallowed a rock, "What is it?"

"_I came home and couldn't find her anywhere. I looked until I noticed the kitchen window open!" _Fenton continued shamefully. _"I think she ran off."_

* * *

"You children wait here, alright? Let us see what this is all about first," the undauntable housekeeper told her granddaughter and the triplets who nodded as they finished their brunch of berries and cream cheese turnovers, breakfast cups, and frosty decaf coffee drinks, courtesy of Aaron.

"Don't worry Mrs. B, I'll make sure they stay put," Launchpad added with a grin.

"You sure you don't want to stay in the car, Aaron? I mean, Beaks will be there," the world's greatest adventurer inquired gently.

"I'm sure. I'm done running," the humanoid said firmly, dressed in a turquoise button up V-neck with white spirals and pleated jeans over his suit.

It had been a hard night getting some sleep, knowing his beloved four-legged companion was out there alone. He had reassured both his adoptive mother and brother that it was not their fault and that he himself was responsible for not dropping by home and checking on her. They only relaxed after he told them of how she had done this quite a few times back when he was on Earth M, which was true. However, his own reassurances failed him as he wondered why the female Flerken was.

Was she safe? When would she come home? Was she lost?

Those thoughts, along with what he would do if Beaks tried to get him alone again, swirled in his head so viciously that morning that he barely managed to avoid burning the turnovers and had chosen an iced mochaccino to help him wake up. Thankfully work was cancelled today as several of the teens who were supposed to come in, came here to the park to witness the event, some even needing to do so for school.

The humanoid and his two companions soon found themselves immersed in the crowd of chatting spectators. Thankfully, everyone's eyes were on the wooden but sturdy stage with a podium and speakers that were set up with a red curtain where the three business people and the creator of the device were no doubt behind. He was proven right as all four strode out from behind said curtain, smiling and waving at the crowd who began to clap, though Aaron had a good idea that it was more over the SOLESNESTRITE unveiling and launch rather than seeing the social media-obsessed avian or the second-rate business man.

Behck, who was dressed in a short-sleeved white and blue sundress with white knee-high boots and navy gloves that went past the elbows and seemed to connected with the dress sleeves, strode to the podium and spoke into the mic, "Hello Duckburg! How are you doing?"

The cheeriness of her voice got people very excited and many chimed greetings and applause of their own. However, Aaron couldn't help but feel that the greeting itself was a bit…overly done. Like lemonade with too much sugar.

It reminded him of when one of his less responsible and less favorite teen Terran babysitters had gotten caught trying to bring her older boyfriend to the house. Both the mother of the babysitter and Mar-Vell had sweetly told him to go play in his room. The tightness of their smiles and the nervous look on both teens' faces was odd to him at the time. Days later, he had been told that he would no longer be seeing that babysitter around as she had gone off to a "special" school for girls "like her."

"Before we begin, I would like to let the three people who generously funded the launch and the activation of my device, have a few words," the female heron said politely as she stepped away from the podium and allowed the three to come forward.

The amicable professional came up first, smiling kindly as she spoke, "When Nora told us all about the SOLENESTRITE device, we were skeptical until she showed how it works."

A trolley rolled out from behind the curtain, a laptop perched on top with a camera and beside it, showing everyone how it the battery was low on energy. Behck then proceeded to tap at some of the keys which caused a black box to pop up on the laptop screen that showed the text _Downloading ._, the picture of a smiling sun, and a yellow download bar. When the bar reached one-hundred percent, the box disappeared and, right before everyone's eyes, the battery symbol on the laptop filled up fully! Everyone instantly 'oohed' and 'ahhed' while a few began to clap and cheer with excitement. Aaron even saw a few begin to go into their app stores where, surprisingly, they found the app.

"Think of it as solar energy in electrical form," the female heron said simply with a proud smile. "But more permanent."

"Remarkable, isn't she?" Owlson gushed with a chuckle, smiling when she saw Aaron who gave her a nod and a smile in return.

While he felt something was a bit off, he wouldn't let his friend be upset by his doubts. Seeing that his rival was in the crowd, tried to launch himself at the mic but was stopped by Owlson who kept a firm grip of him. Instead, it was Beaks who decided to push his way to the mic and began speaking loudly.

"S-S-Solar energy in the house!" he screamed, causing a few to wince before spying the humanoid. "Yo Starbright! Babe!"

The young Kree couldn't help but facepalm, grumbling, "It's gonna be a long day."

Suddenly, his phone rang which he quickly picked up and answered upon seeing that it was his mother, "Hey Mom!"

"_Hi mijo, where are you?" _the Cabrera matriarch asked gently though the auburn-haired young man could sense a vague tone of worry.

"I'm here at the park with Mrs. Beakley and Mr. McDuck. We're watching the activation of the SOLENESTRITE. Why? What's wrong?" he asked pensively. "Did you find Nutmeg?"

"_No, not yet. Sorry Estrellito. I actually just got off the phone with Quinn. After Fenton and I saw the news, we decided to call Quinn to ask him if he could check about this Nora L. Behck's background," _the older Latina duck said, alarm becoming more apparent.

"And?" Aaron inquired, trying to keep the dread out of his voice.

"_That's just it! There's no record of her. We even checked to see if she could have changed her name from something else but there's nothing," _Gloria finished, sounding frightened, not for herself but for her newly adopted son.

Aaron noticed that both Scottish drake and British duck had noticed his alarmed expression and were increasingly becoming tense themselves, the only sentence coming out of his mouth was, "What should we do?"

"_You three just stay where you are," _his mother said with maternal ferocity. _"I'm coming with a few officers. And your brother and his boss are finishing things up at the lab and are going to be there as fast as they can. Be safe."_

"We will. Goodbye, Mom. Love you," the humanoid finished before hanging up and turning to the other two. "Looks like we were right to be concerned after all."

* * *

"Whatcha doing Launchpad?" Webby asked as she leaned over from the back to see what the simple duck was doing with a newspaper, pen, and notepad.

"Oh, this? Aaron taught me this. You find a title or a sentence and you move the letters to make new ones," the buff drake replied. "It's pretty funny. See? _Farmer's Market A Hit _turns into _Kit Fears Mr. Mare's Hat_!"

"That is pretty funny," Webby couldn't keep herself from giggling before turning to the other three, "Guys, come look!"

"Sorry Webby, not right now. We're trying to download the app to see if it really works," Huey replied, glaring as his phone seemed to take forever to download the new energy link. "C'mon!"

"Wouldn't be surprised if it was taking so long because of all the ridiculous junk you have saved on it," Dewey mumbled as he drained the last of his iced vanilla bean chocolate frappe.

"Hey! Having a schedule and storing possibly significant old files is not ridiculous!" the eldest triplet said indignantly.

"Dudes, Beaks and Glomgold are totally fighting over the mic," Louie snickered as he watched the event from behind the car window. "Oh snap! Glomgold tripped into the audience and nobody caught him!"

The female duckling shrugged as she turned back to the pilot/driver to watch him continue with the little game. Her eyes then, however, locked onto the titled of one of the articles; _Nora L. Behck Masters Solar Energy_. As she continued to stare at the title, something in her head began to flicker, her curiosity turning into impulse as she grabbed the pen and notepad Launchpad was using.

"Sorry Launchpad, I just want to do something really quick," Webby said as she began to scrawl.

"Go ahead," Launchpad said with a smile.

Slowly, the bubblegum-clothed duckling began to cross out letters as she began spelling the news word. As she completed the new word, her eyes widened with shock and horror, causing her to quickly drop both pen and notepad and scurry over to the window and begin banging on the window, scaring the triplets and the pilot/driver.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What's going on?!" the middle triplet asked with a startled expression on his face as he and his brothers scurried to join their friends in the front.

"Granny! Uncle Scrooge! Aaron! It's a trap!" she screamed, banging on the windows.

* * *

As Zan finally settled the two CEOs down firmly in some seats that she brought out, she turned back to the mic and announced, "Well, now that _that's _settled, let's get started."

With that, she allowed Behck to return to the podium where the female heron proceeded to pull out a tablet which she began tapping on, putting in codes no doubt.

"When I finish entering this code, all electronics all over the world with this app will get a taste of this power," she said voice filled with a sharp glee that did not escape the ears of the suspicious trio.

Beakley was startled when her phone rang but quickly proceeded to answer it upon seeing it was her granddaughter, she immediately answered, "Yes, Webby?"

"_Granny! It's a trap! A lie! Her name is an anagram! Nora L. Behck!?" _Webby practically screamed in panic.

"Dear, what are you-?" the British duck began but stopped as her mind began to process it and then it hit her.

As her eyes slowly met those of the heron, she saw a familiar and sinister glint in them.

"Beakley, what is it?" Scrooge asked as he saw her expression.

Before she could answer, "Behck" hit something on her tablet. As soon as she did, all the phones, both the ones that had downloaded the app, turned pitched black. A few moments passed and people began to whisper in annoyed and apprehensive voices on why they were not connecting. Then-

_BLAM! _

A loud noise erupted from the parking lot, causing everybody to whirl around and see that a random car had exploded, flames and smoke billowing from the ruptured remains. Everyone stared in petrification, only reacting when a bright beam shot out of nowhere and hit yet another car.

Instantly, the crowd fled in different directions, screaming in total fear and hysteria. Owlson, Beaks, and Glomgold also looked quite flabbergasted and frightened but they remained where they were, frozen by the chaos that has burst from indiscreet balloon. They, and the suspicious trio who were the only ones of the crowd to stand their ground, turned to look right at the female heron. However, before any of them could say a word, she smiled a malicious smile, reached into her pocket, and pulled out a red marble-like item before throwing it on the ground, causing a flash and an explosion of red smoke to shroud around her. From that smoke, they began to hear a chuckle that was not at all like the supposed "do-gooder."

"No," the retired agent gaped in disbelief.

"It can't be," the world's greatest adventurer whispered just as astonished.

The smoke dispersed to show the so-called "Behck" but everything was different. Her feathers had changed from grayish white to charcoal black and her hair was now in a beehive with a red band and the color of shadows. Her dress was now a scarlet red sleeved one and her glasses were gone, only her white boots remaining the same. But what really got Aaron's attention was her right arm was actually a robotic prosthetic that was impressively advanced by Earth terms.

"Black Heron," both ducks gasped lowly, eyes hardening but still amazed.

"Wait, Black Heron? As in the F.O.W.L. agent who you guys supposedly defeated a second time and thought for sure she was dead? _That _Black Heron?" the auburn-haired young man asked in bewilderment, recalling what Webby told him about the devious science-wise criminal.

"Serves us right from taking care to check that she was gone for good," the eldest duck muttered loudly. "Take note young Aaron, age does not always mean wisdom. Experience does."

Taking no heed of the three standing before her, Black Heron cackled nastily, her voice also having changed from Australian to British, as she grabbed the forgotten news camera and spoke, most likely catching the attention of those who were watching from their TVs at home or on their non-deactivated phones, "People of Duckburg, you have foolishly fell into my trap. With the device I can not only weaponize the Sun's rays but determine where to strike! And my app, downloaded or not, allows me control over all your electronics, so good luck trying to defeat me."

As if to confirm her point, the sound of crashing vehicles caused everyone to turn around and see cars and other vehicles smashing into each other due to a blank traffic light. Seeing that alone made something begin to burn within the humanoid's heart and mind. He was certain that he was turning a dark blue with rage.

"Now that I have the Sun at my control, the everyone will bow to me," Black Heron continued to brag arrogantly with an evil look of triumph. "After I'm done taking over this worthless little city, I'll take over every last part of this planet! World leaders will pay me to protect their countries and nations! I've won!"

"Whoa, she's really full of herself huh?"

All three whirled around to see Launchpad and the four ducklings, Louie being the one who spoke, standing behind with wide-eyes.

"Boys-," Scrooge began but Huey cut him off.

"Before you said that you told us to stay in the car, I would like to point out that the parking lot has become a war zone," the red-clothed triplet stated, gesturing to the burning cars. "And between the four of you, the four of us are safer here."

"That's what you think little one," the power-hungry F.O.W.L. agent said ominously as she hopped off the stage and strode towards them, the three business individuals having already fled.

Aaron quickly took a few steps to stand in front of the seven anthros, glaring ferociously at the charcoal-colored avian.

"Hmm, you are interesting up close," Black Heron crooned as she looked him up and down. "I wonder what it would be like to strap you to a table and see what makes you tick."

"Leave him alone Heron!" the Scottish drake snapped.

"I don't hit women, but I won't hesitate to put a criminal behind bars," the young Kree growled. "And I'm not afraid of you."

The science-wise criminal laughed as though he said a joke before snickering cruelly, "Oh, we'll see about that."

"There's something I don't get," the undauntable housekeeper said firmly with morbid interest. "You were already done with the SOLENESTRITE and set to launch. Why did you need the funds from Glomgold Industries and Waddle?"

The retired agent came to regret it when Black Heron's smile became even more malicious and gleeful, "Oh, I'm so glad one of you finally asked that. Well, let's see; part of it was so I could pay to have some old hacker friends of mine set up the apps and everything else. Another part of it was to pay someone to keep the space programs off my back when I sent the device to space. And the last part, well it was to hire some extra muscle to do work that a lady like myself shouldn't have to."

As if on que, several police cars arrived and the group of eight felt a huge sigh of relief begin to arise but was quickly stopped by seeing _who_ got out of the car. All the Beagle Boys, or at least those residential to Duckburg, came out of the cruisers with horrid, wicked grins on their faces. The last car to arrive revealed not a Beagle Boy driving it but instead a face that Aaron had not seen since he arrived.

Falcone Graves.

Things got even worse when the group saw gagged and bound officers in the backseats, a few looking quite roughed up. But really horrified them, especially the humanoid, was when Graves pulled out Gloria who was tied up but not gagged like her fellow officers.

"You black-hearted barbarian," the richest duck in Duckburg snarled.

"It was easy for me to bribe the head of the Beagle family to allow me to hire her sons," the female heron laughed mockingly. "Quite frankly, I was surprised they managed to pull it off. They either must hate the Duckburg Police Department as much as they hate you or they really want to make their mother proud. Or maybe a combination of both. And Graves? Not only will he do anything for money, but he said he would gladly do what it takes to see Star-_disaster _here squirm."

The auburn-haired young man could only stare helplessly as Gloria struggled, "Let me go you basura!"

She was silenced when the ominous bird of prey took out a blaster, most likely built by Black Heron, and aimed it at his head, eyes and smirk saying that he had won.

Striding up to the humanoid who did not break his eyes from the nightmarish scene, whispering snobbishly in his ear, "Are you afraid now?"

When she did not get a response, her smile got more smug as she stepped backwards but was stopped by the youngest triplet snapping angrily at the charcoal-colored avian, "I hope you fall into a volcano!"

Aaron finally looked to see that the triplets and Webby had looks of pure anger and hate on their faces as their eyes gazed hard at Black Heron. If looks could kill, and unfortunately, they didn't, she would be burnt worse than any volcano could do. Considering how the triplets had lost their own mother, how the female duckling had been in a familiar situation last year, and their love for the young Kree, it really wasn't a surprise.

The science-wise criminal just continued to smile her evil smile as she backed away and began to fiddle with the tablet, "Now, let's see. What should I aim for next? I know! How about McDuck Man-?"

She never got to finish as yellow, crackling orb flew out from the right and shot her in the robotic arm, causing it to fly off and her to scream in surprise and slight pain. Everyone's heads snapped to where the orb came from and their eyes widened when they saw a strange but familiar, friendly figure.

"_Shocked _to see me?" Teri asked, smirking confidently, one of his drones perched on his shoulder while he cradled a certain "cat" in the other.

"Nutmeg!" Aaron cried out in surprise and joy to which the female Flerken just mewled.

A grunt caused them to look back at Graves and see that the corporate saboteur was on the ground and the Cabrera matriarch, who was thankfully unharmed, was being untied by Gizmoduck. Beside the mechanical-suited drake were Gyro and Manny, anger and determination radiating from them. More grunts sounded and they once again looked to see that Storkules had taken a small amount of Beagle Boys out, causing the rest to back up but not flee. Like the others, he had a fearless expression on his face.

"B-But, how?!" the British duck gasped when suddenly, familiar black vans appeared, kicking up dirt.

Flurry and several agents, all armed and ready, emerged from the vehicles and ran out to help the tied-up police who did not have the Beagle Boys surrounding them. Instead of their usual suits, the female goshawk and her companions wore suits that looked similar to those wore by the SWAT teams but sleeker while still appearing to be capable of withstanding harsh attacks.

"Flurry-," the eldest duck began but was cut off.

"You can thank me later," the female goshawk said coolly but was smiling proudly.

As his allies, _no_, his family and friends, gathered around him, preparing themselves for a fight, the power-hungry F.O.W.L. agent looked at her metal stub and then at her tablet. She gasped, and for good reason. The attack from the Plug-Head had sent shocks to damage it a bit, causing the screen to glitch.

Snarling, she glared daggers at the group before looking at the Beagle Boys and Graves, who was barely getting back up, and snapping, "Don't just stand there! Get them!"

As she ran to flee, wobbling due to the loss of her prosthetic, the menacing goon-for-hire and the Beagle Boys began to stride menacingly towards them, their speed picking up as they did so.

"Ready to do this?" Aaron asked out loud, activating his suit.

"I was born ready!" Webby grinned eagerly.

"We're right behind you, Hermanito!" the techno hero nodded.

"This is turning out to be one heck of a day," the former lead engineer murmured, still smiling.

"Let's D-D-Dewey this!" the middle brother cried out excitedly.

"For Duckburg!" Storkules cried for triumphantly.

"And Central Park!" Launchpad jumped in.

"Then, let's hit it," the humanoid said.

With those last words, they all launched themselves at the Beagle Boys.

* * *

Here's Chapter 10! I know, cliffhanger's suck but I think we can all agree they make an excellent build up to the story. And yes, I am making Donald go on vacation for real before the events of what goes on with Della in "The Golden Spear." Don't judge me! Our Donald needs a freakin' break and he's getting one. And like I said, it's an AU. This will connect to my sequel. Anyways, Happy Readings!


	11. Chapter 11: The Risks of Heroics

Chapter 11: The Risks of Heroics

So many things happened in Duckburg that sometimes, even when the ducklings were home, every day felt like an adventure.

The triplets' "Only Child" day experience, Webby's first daytrip to Funso's Funzone, discovering the Terra-Firmians, Scrooge's birthday bash, Louie's attempt to build a business from harpies, and so many other adventures. Particularly the ones where they met new friends and heroes, like Gizmoduck, Storkules, Aaron, and Teri.

_Like Lena_, Webby thought to herself as she tripped another Beagle Boy, sending him crashing into his brother.

From where she stood, she could see her brother and Graves throwing punches at each other. While the ominous bird of prey managed to get a few hits in, Aaron's determination to defend his family and put all the criminals behind bars strengthened his already superhuman endurance and his focus to take the corporate saboteur down. Whenever a Beagle Boy would try to cut in or sneak up from behind to take the humanoid, someone quickly intervened if Aaron didn't knock out Graves' would-have-been back-up himself.

Right at the moment Big Time, Burger, and Bouncer were running, ready to tackle the young Kree but were quickly intervened by Mrs. Beakley, Manny, and Scrooge.]

_You're going down __**hard**_, Manny clopped, his stone head's lack of expression just as frightening as the glares of the British duck and Scottish drake.

"And we'll be sure to send a postcard to your mother…along with a few police officers," the undauntable housekeeper said with a smirk.

Upon hearing the threat against their "loving" mother, the three let out sub-par war cries before rushing at the opposing trio. Bad move. In no time at all, the two ducks and one stone-headed horse had punched and kicked the daylights out of all three criminal brothers, thereby sending the main three sailing into the park fountain.

Launchpad and Storkules were having no trouble either, especially with the benevolent Greek god's experience and powers. And for someone who wasn't coordinated behind the wheel of a vehicle or the controls of a plane, he was giving plenty of blows to the Beagle Boys. Immediately, upon seeing they were surrounded, the two pressed their backs together and locked arms.

"Hermes Speed, loyal Launchpad!" the immortal anthro proclaimed bravely before he started spinning around.

The pilot/driver began kicking wildly, catching many of the Beagles in the face, knocking a few out while some held their faces in pain and retreated. Once they were done, both large but friendly anthros proceeded to high-five. However, the taller of the two was taken by surprise when somebody called out to him.

"Catch!" Gizmoduck shouted as he threw a stouter Beagle to the legendary hero who caught said thug with ease before knocking him out with one headbutt.

The mechanical-suited drake was working alongside Gyro and Chispero, depending on mostly their weapons. The techno hero only had a blaster but the fury that laid within his eyes from his mother and little brother being in danger nearly overtaking the preciseness of his attacks. The young male robot was currently in his ice mode, shooting blue orbs that turned the charging Beagle Boys into glistening, frosty statues. As for the head scientist, he was shooting with great accuracy but also barely controlled rage.

When he clicked his gun and nothing came from it, the brilliant rooster groaned, "The one day I forgot to charge a weapon!"

Teri changed into his electric mode before zapping said weapon and saying, "Try it now."

Upon pulling the trigger, Gyro's blaster was once again firing but with more energy, "Okay, we need to interact more."

Half of the agents were freeing the bound police officers while the other half fought the attacking Beagle Boys. Gloria and Flurry were among them, both taking turns watching each other's backs while helping out not only the officers but getting any bystanders out of harms' way.

"Darn kids and their phones!" the female goshawk groaned angrily as she shoved a teen was video-taping the right to run.

"I don't have that problem with my boys. Especially Aaron," the Cabrera matriarch replied.

"Well, maybe my girls can learn a thing or two from your boys," Flurry chuckled dryly as she delivered a kick to the side of a short Beagle Boy's head and another to a slightly taller Beagle's chest.

The kids themselves running about, using their small height, higher energy, and whatever they could get their hands on to their advantage. They managed to successfully dodge every attempted grab by the Beagle Boys chasing them and mostly got a good hit with the random objects they found which were a tree branch, a dropped selfie stick, rocks, and a grappling hook. All the while they fought, the female duckling kept an eye on Black Heron who was currently hiding, or rather failing to hide, as she tried to fix her arm and the tablet at the same time.

As for Nutmeg, well…she needed only to momentarily swallow and regurgitate a Beagle Boy to make the more cowardly thugs to flee in fear while the more foolishly determined ones knew to stay clear of her.

Just barely missing another punch and attempted leg swipe from the corporate saboteur, the young Kree growled in annoyance, "Alright, let's end this."

"Let's," Graves growled back as reared his head back to take one final swing.

Time seemed to slow down as Falcon's fist slowly closed in, centimeters from meeting the auburn-haired young man's face…when Aaron ducked and the ominous bird of prey's fist connected with a Beagle Boy's face who was creeping behind the humanoid. The Beagle's own fist flew and connected with Grave's face which resulted in them both being knocked out at last.

"Woo-oo!" Gizmoduck cried, pumping his fist in the air. "Alright Starcaster!"

Aaron couldn't help but take a playful little bow.

The bubble-gum clothed duckling couldn't keep herself from giggling but stopped when she saw that the science-wise criminal had finished fixing her arm and was now fiddling with the tablet. Thinking fast, she reached into her pocket and took out a hacky sac and, as hard as she could, kicked it towards the female heron.

Smirking evilly as she got the glitches out and the program controlling the SOLENESTRITE appeared to clearly on the screen, she went to tap to shoot another solar blast and laughed maniacally, "Said goodbye-!"

Before her finger could even hit a button, a hacky sac hit her robotic arm, which was holding the tablet, breaking and shattering the arm in two, causing a portion of her prosthetic and the tablet itself to hit the ground.

"I just fixed that!" Black Heron screamed, turning her head to evilly stare down Webby. "You little-!"

She wasn't able to finish as a burgundy tentacle wrapped around her ankle and began to whip her through the air, causing the power-hungry F.O.W.L. agent to scream in utter terror. While this was happening, Flurry quickly ran over and snatched up the tablet while Gloria ran to pick up the source of the tentacle.

"You can let go now, Nutmeg!" Aaron said as he quickly made his way to his mother's side.

Obediently, Nutmeg did as she was told but as her tentacle let go, she sent Black Heron flying into the far west, her only reaction was meowing and licking her lips.

"Ooooh, sorry everybody! My bad!" the humanoid said, more sorry for the fact he took away the agents' chance to arrest the charcoal-colored avian.

"We can worry about that later," the retired agent said quickly with a reassuring nod as she came to stand beside the formidable agent.

"Think you can take a go at it, Gyro?" the richest duck in Duckburg inquired urgently.

"Let me see," the irritable genius inventor said as he took the tablet.

But when he did, the screen suddenly turned black and began sparking as what looked like a timer appeared on the screen.

Realizing what it was, the older Latina duck screamed, "Duck and cover!"

Immediately everyone ran in different directions, covering themselves as they did so. The moment the timer hit zero, the tablet combusted with a medium explosion. While it wasn't very big at all, the whole group was left shaken and confused.

"What happened?!" the green-clothed duckling yelled as they all slowly returned to their spots to stare at the charred remains of the tablet.

"She must have rigged it to self-destruct if anyone else got their hands on it to avoid the take down of the SOLENESTRITE," the Plug-Head reasoned. "We're now totally disconnected from the device."

"Oh no!" the buff drake gasped before blinking and asking in complete confusion. "What's that mean?"

"We have a dangerous, unpiloted solar-powered weapon of mass destruction hovering between our planet and the Sun itself," Huey said.

"Which is far from good," the techno hero jumped in.

"What are we gonna do?" the middle triplet asked nervously.

Flurry's faced hardened into an even more serious expression, if that were possible, as she said, "All of you, grab a vehicle and follow us. But fair warning; once we're at our destination, there's no going back."

The anthros and humanoid only nodded and went to their vehicles.

* * *

After about fifteen or so minutes of driving and following Flurry and the rest of the agents through roads with nothing but trees and bushes, though there was one gas station, they all found themselves at an unconventionally large tunnel. All those except for the individuals who were familiar with this, namely Scrooge, Beakley, and Chispero, did not gasp or almost scream when the asphalt beneath them began to shift before lowering into a dark gap beneath. While this happened, another cover of "road" covered the gap.

Excited and confused whispers were the only things heard and inky blackness was the only thing seen before they stopped descending. As quick as it had come, the darkness disappeared as the small white lights in front of them flashed on, revealing a heavy metal door with a keypad near it. Flurry was the first to step out, followed then by the other agents and then the group that had followed them.

As she reached to type in a code on the pad, she suddenly said with a sharp look at the group, "Phones. Off."

Everyone quickly looked to see that all three of the triplets had their phones out and were quite startled by the fact that they were caught.

"Oh, give me those you shameless sharers," the eldest duck grumbled as he snatch all three phones in one swoop, earning him groans.

"You too, Launchpad," Beakley said firmly, holding out her hand to the kind-hearted, simple duck.

"Awwww!" Launchpad pouted as he too handed over his phone.

Once she was sure that no one else was planning to take a sneak picture or video, the formidable agent typed a code onto the keypad and entered it. The doors made loud whirring sounds as the locks within began to unravel. And then with a loud hissing noise, the doors opened and everyone began moving inside.

As they walked in, they discovered they discovered a long concrete corridor with fluorescent lights, lights which brought Aaron back to the first time he and Flurry spoke. They soon game to another door that had no keypad. Instead, out of nowhere a blue light shot from the ceiling and scanned the occupants of the corridor. If they weren't in awe before, they were now. However, all of that awe paled in comparison to what they discovered lay behind the door.

Countless agents, other than the ones who were with them and now entering the room, ran about here and there. Many were at a few of several computers in the room while others were observing the huge monitor screen depicting live footage of the SOLENESTRITE itself. Nutmeg suddenly jumped off Aaron's shoulder and trotted to where a cluster of Teri's droids had gathered, immediately becoming drawn to the Flerken when she approached them.

"We are in a S.H.U.S.H. base!" the female duckling squealed.

"This. Is. Epic!" Dewey shouted with pure excitement, his shout echoing a bit with a few agents turning to stare at him for a second.

"Look at all this tech!" the eldest brother breathed with a sparkle in his eye.

"Really wish I had my back up phone right now," the green-clothed brother added, just as mesmerized as his two older siblings.

"You kids can gawk and investigate later," Scrooge say in a stern voice, making it clear that now was not the time for whatever they wanted to do. "What do you have, Flurry?"

The female goshawk, having already cleared a medium stainless steel table, placed the droid that had been with them in battle and had been on her shoulder the whole tide over, where it a hologram shot of the device from its eyes. Everyone gathered around, all feeling a great amount of intrigue and apprehension.

"Turns out that while Black Heron launched the SOLENESTRITE a few days ago, bribing a member of NASA to make it seem like a new probe launch, she actually created the device quite a while ago," the formidable agent hesitated before adding solemnly. "We know this through the files left behind by the late Ludwig Von Drake, one of our finest scientists and the greatest director that S.H.U.S.H. could ever have, may he rest in peace."

Aaron felt his heart lurch in pity as he saw both British duck and Scottish drake's heads in sorrow. He knew the feeling of losing someone who was very intelligent and incredibly close with.

"Ludwig Von Drake? THE Ludwig Von Drake?! He was my idol! I have a poster of him from when I was five!" Gyro practically squealed before composing himself, readjusting. "Er, I mean, my condolences."

"He would have loved to meet all of you. Including you two," the undauntable housekeeper smiled at the young male robot and young Kree. "He had a theory about multiple universes. And you proved him right."

Aaron and Teri turned to each other and smiled.

"Even in his old age, Von Drake was alert as he was hard-working," Flurry continued. "He claimed to have heard rumors of a massive solar weapon. Again, that amazing brain of his was right because we found a few files regarding all the parts stolen over the years to create the satellite."

As she said this, an agent, the same one who had notified her of Scrooge and Beakley's presence the day they brought the humanoid to the Cabreras, handed the older agent a file. She wasted no time in placing it in the center near the droid before throwing it open to reveal the list. As they all stared at the lists, all their eyes widened, even the eyes of those who were still perplexed by everything.

"What in Demeter's green pastures are we looking at?" Storkules whispered, looking confused and alarmed.

"I can tell you this; you try to buy this stuff on my planet, you're gonna have both the black market dealers and the law after you," the former lead engineer whistled.

"I remember when I was starting out in the academy," Gloria began. "We had several retired officers and a few legal bounty hunters come to the station and list all the illegal items they confiscated in their careers."

"And?" the young intern asked, worried eyes hidden by his suit's visor.

She gulped and shot him a fearful look before saying, "Everything they found pales in comparison to this."

"Some of this stuff shouldn't even be in something that's solar-powered!" the brilliant rooster squawked, falling back into Launchpad.

"She wasn't kidding. This thing is just about as dangerous as a Kree missile," the auburn-haired young man whispered in horror.

"She really was going to hurt people," Webby uttered in pure terror. "She was ready to destroy anybody with the SOLENESTRITE."

"B-But we destroyed the tablet!" the youngest of the triplets proclaimed. "Shouldn't that have shut it off?"

"I'm afraid not," Chispero spoke. "The power source wasn't in the tablet."

"The Sun!" the red-clothed brother exclaimed.

Nodding, the Plug-Head continued, "The device is still on and still absorbing light. However, without anything to make it release…Well, imagine you're boiling water in a container that, albeit conducts heat, has no space or opening to release the steam or bubbling. This will eventually cause the container to break open and for steam and hot water to splash all over. That is what's happening to the SOLENESTRITE."

"Only a thousand times worse," the bubblegum-clothed duckling added, earning her a grave nod from the young male robot.

"Thankfully, Von Drake had foreseen the dangers and had given us something to defend against it," the female goshawk put in, tapping the little droid.

Immediately, the holographic image of the SOLENESTRITE quickly changed into an image that showed a model of Duckburg. But, strangely enough, there seemed to be a dome of some sort of dome around the whole city.

"Currently, the SOLENESTRITE is locked onto Duckburg. And right now as we speak, our finest field scientists are going around the city planting Von Drake's invention that will create a shield that will cover the entire city," the formidable agent continued. "It was originally meant to protect places like Duckburg from natural disasters like tsunamis, volcanos, and tornados but he thankfully upgraded it before his passing to include massive disasters from the stars."

"And that's not all he made," the former lead engineer added as he pulled out a small black chip with a red 'A' on it. "Apparently, along with the shield, he made this. An abort chip to shut down any device. If we had managed to get those codes she used to operate it, I could have sent the chips signal to the device and shut it down. Now the only way to do it is to fly up there and manually do it."

"Let me guess; not enough time?" the techno hero inquired.

"With the estimates our scientists have made based on the size of the device and the materials used, we barely have two hours," Flurry said firmly. "Unless we use these."

When she finished that sentence two agents rolled a black-cloth covered cart towards the group. Once it was up close, the cloth was pulled off to reveal what was beneath it. Mostly everyone was quick to recognize the Protoract and Aaron was quick to recognize his shield though he did see some evidence that it had been modified and upgraded. However, the rest was new.

There were two circular disks with Aaron's star on them and appeared to have a slight, familiar cosmic blue glow emanating from the seams. They were the size of hockey pucks but thinner than pancakes. The two other objects appeared to be even smaller and thinner and were silvery in color with cyan colored lines on it.

Upon closer inspection of the silver circles, the young Kree gasped, "Is this-?"

"Yup, it's vibranium," Teri said with a proud smile.

"But how-?" the auburn-haired young man before he looked down and saw cornflower blue eyes looking up at him with mischief. "Nutmeg?"

"Mm-hm," the formidable agent said with a dryly amused smile. "I was talking with Chispero here yesterday evening when she popped out of nowhere."

* * *

_**Yesterday **_

_It was late in the evening but early enough for the agents of S.H.U.S.H. to hang out and have some refreshments and socialize before retiring for the day. The Plug-Head and lead agent of the base were at the large console, snacking on bagels and coffee while they sorted through files and talked._

"_Gotta admit, these droids are helpful as they are cute," the female goshawk stated as she gently scratched one of them on the side of their prongs._

"_Closest thing I could get to a pet growing up," the former lead engineer said with smile that was both humorous and bittersweet._

"_Has Aaron shown you his pet Flerken, Nutmeg?" Flurry inquired. "Looks just like an Earth cat but has tentacles that can throw down a Beagle Boy and stores more things than my grandmother's purse. Creepy but adorable at the same time."_

"_Yup, sent me photos," the young male robot nodded. "She likes to pop up whenever we're video-chatting. Threw up a Rubix cube in front of us."_

"_All that matters is that she's on our side," the formidable agent said firmly before turning around and freezing. "Speak of the devil."_

"_What are you-?" Teri began as he too turned around and froze._

_Right there before them was the extraterrestrial feline herself._

"_Mew!" she mewled plaintively. _

"_Nutmeg?" the young male robot said in confusion._

"_How on Earth did she get in here?" Flurry practically demanded._

_Before the other could offer an idea, the female Flerken began to make a hacking noise._

_Where as most people would be grossed out and look away, the two instead watched with anticipation of what she would regurgitate. It was almost like they were little kids watching a clown or magician about to perform a trick. A few seconds later, a large crate flew out of Nutmeg's momentarily widespread mouth and landed with a harsh __**thump **__before them. Chispero was the first to step forward and check the crate, inspecting it until he curiously tried the lid and found it was loose._

_With Flurry's help, they pulled the lid off and looked inside which caused their mouths to drop open. Inside were large cylindrical containers filled with a silvery metal that, while in crooked hard pieces, looked very eloquent and powerful at the same time. The Plug-Head soon spotted a piece of paper which he pulled out and opened before reading the contents. _

"_You are not going to believe this," the former lead engineer breathed as his eyes widened._

_**Back to the Present **_

* * *

"Turns out Flurry here swallowed some smuggle vibranium back when you guys were on Earth M," the young male robot explained. "It's lucky she managed to find her way here so we can put it to good use."

"Smart girl," he whispered as he stroked her head. "But don't ever leave without warning again."

She only licked her paw nonchalantly.

"I infused the vibranium with nanites so that when the Vibranium Incorporating Patches, or VIPs, as I call them, are placed onto a person's armor or suit, they stretch the vibranium into a flexible but durable coating," Teri explained, tapping his droid.

Once again, the droid proceeded to show a holographic video of the patch being placed on a person and the nanite-driven vibranium covering the person's body like the way vines cover a tree or water streams down the body.

"It also retracts when the patch is being removed," the former lead engineer added.

"Amazing!" the irritable genius spoke before looking at the two black circles. "And these?"

"I infused them with finite but sizable amount of energy from the Protoract," Chispero continued. "Simple attach them to something, like a jet plane, and boom; instant light speed upgrade. Put enough in them to last a month or so."

"How do you know to do all this?" the red-clothed brother inquired.

"I've jumped through all kinds of dimensions," Teri stated with a shrug. "You've seen one source of ultimate energy or one powerful element, you've seen them all."

"Cool!" the ducklings all said in unison.

"Seriously, when this is over, we're exchanging emails and phone numbers," Gyro said with a serious, deadpanned tone but his eyes shone with astonishment and childish glee.

"This is perfect!" the auburn-haired young man said with a determined and hopeful smile. "All I need to do is-"

"Excuse me, what?!" the Cabrera matriarch snapped in shock, morbid confusion, and fear. "Aaron, what are you saying?"

"I'm gonna go up there and put a stop to this," the humanoid said with the utmost determination.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Absolutely not!" the older Latina duck snapped with desperate fear and ire. "Aaron, I forbid you to go up there and get anywhere that death machine!"

"It's not a bad plan actually," the formidable agent stated ignoring the aghast and angry look the mother of two shot at her. "But Aaron can't go alone. He needs someone to go up there with him. It's a two-person job."

"I'll go!" the benevolent Greek god announced sincerely with a spark in his eye. "Honorable Starcaster and I shall ascend to the star-ridden Heavens and vanquish that wicked-!"

"Sorry big fella, you're not going," the female goshawk interrupted seriously. "For this mission to go right, we need people who both have a good grasp of scientific knowledge."

"Flurry's right, Storkules," the British duck chimed in wisely. "And I don't mean to offend you but sometimes you don't know your own strength. You can accidentally damage the SOLENESTRITE and cause it to go off early. We know you'll survive but we're unsure of the ferocity of the blast and how durable the shield will be against it."

The legendary hero seemed to wilt before the Scottish drake added, "We need you here to help people who the police, firefighters, and medics can't get too, lad. And the kids need someone to watch them as well. Donald would want that."

That certainly caused the immortal anthro to perk right back up and smile with a dutiful nod. The kids in question, who had become quiet at this point, were not paying attention to Storkules but staring intently at the auburn-haired young man.

"Hey," Launchpad suddenly said as he turned to the young male robot as if seeing him for the first time. "You're a science guy, right? I mean, I'm not just saying this because you're a robot, but you can totally shut down that thing with your eyes closed, right?"

"I could go if that stupid piece of Delta trash hadn't damaged my space mode. I was barely able to get it to work to bring Aaron back," Teri mumbled, looking away in embarrassment and frustration. "Still haven't fixed it. And my kind need oxygen to breathe too."

"We tried giving him Gyro's Oxy-Chew but it didn't have a thorough effect on him," the formidable agent explained as Chispero nodded his head.

"It's probably the way the chemical compound is made to fully absorb into pure, organic flesh, not dermis-alloy," Aaron piped up.

"It's okay, bud," the buff drake said as he patted the former lead engineer on the back before looking at the irritable genius. "What about you, Gyro?"

"Does copper undergo a chemical reaction and develops a layer of patina when exposed to the elements of nature?" Gyro inquired with a proud smile.

"Uh," the pilot/driver stuttered in confusion, earning him an exasperated sigh from the lead scientist.

"While vibranium is a resilient metal, he'll need a full suit for it to cover while he's in space along with some mechanism to help him move around faster like Aaron's suit allow him," the Plug-Head added.

"None of which we have here right now," Flurry said firmly. "And our time limit doesn't exactly allow us to find them."

Slowly, the richest duck in Duckburg's head turned towards the mechanical-suited drake, "That only leaves Gizmoduck."

"He does fit all the requirements, yes," the formidable agent nodded.

Everyone slowly turned to look at the visor-wearing duck who was silent for what felt like forever before saying, "I'll do it. I'm not letting him go up there alone."

Just as it would seem that the police woman would fly into a fit of maternal overprotectiveness and frightened rage, the four ducklings beat her to it as they threw themselves at Aaron's legs and Gizmoduck's wheel.

"You can't go!" the bubblegum-clothed duckling cried out pleadingly, tears pricking her eyes. "You two are strong but what if something happens?! I don't want to lose you like I lost Lena!"

That made the humanoid freeze, recalling what his little sister had told him about her former friend…and how she met her end.

"And we don't want to lose you like we lost our mom either," Louie added, he and his brothers holding back tears of their own.

The mechanical-suited drake and young Kree looked at each other, feeling the weight of their decision and its consequences already begin to become heavy.

"We don't have a choice," Flurry said calmly but in a strict tone that was brimming with the slightest top of impatience. "We're running out of time. And we can't ride out the whole thing. It's too dangerous."

"I have to agree with her," the brilliant rooster chimed in, ignoring how the visor-wearing duck stared at him in surprise. "Even if the shield holds out against the combustion of the device, other disasters will follow. The other satellites around the Earth will crash and hit other areas, the solar energy could have the same effect as a massive solar flare that could shut down every electronic in its radius-,"

"We get it, Dr. Gearloose," the undauntable housekeeper almost snapped, aggravation being added to her stress by Gyro's listings of possible negative outcomes.

Aaron, who had been deep in thought the entire time, finally let out a heavy sigh, heavier than anyone his age should sigh, before taking a knee to look all four ducklings in the eye, his blue orbs stouthearted but kind.

"I promised your Uncle Donald I would keep you safe," the young Kree began. "I couldn't keep all the promises I made to the friends and family I had back on Earth M; not to the Terrans or the Skrull refugees who treated like I was one of their own. But I can keep the promises I have made now. That includes keeping you safe. _All of you_."

The moment he finished that sentence, the ducklings immediately threw themselves at him again, hugging him as hard as their little arms could. Barely a minute after they did, he felt the rest of the occupants of the room, minus Flurry, Manny, and Gyro who could only look on with pity and concealed guilt.

"I can't lose you. Either of you," the older Latina duck whispered the last so quietly that only Gizmoduck and Starcaster could hear.

Not long ago, Aaron had learned that the reason for the absence of a father was not due to a selfish act by the absent patriarch to be a selfish drake. Fenton's father, an Italian-American duck named Fedelo Crackshell, had been helping a friend move. During their trip to the bank, Fedelo and his friend discovered the bank was being held up. One of the burglars, a young drake who was part of a gang, was pointing a gun at a mother and her infant. Fedelo had immediately attempted to intervene to protect the two. The young drake, who was the age of someone who was fresh out of college, was so nervous and frantic to flee before the police came that the older duck's actions startled him into pulling the trigger.

Fedelo was pronounced dead at the hospital. The young intern was only two.

Although it had hit the mother and son hard, Gloria did not allow her sorrow to overcome her, using her grief, anger, and love for her son and late husband to drive her passion to help others so they would not suffer like she had.

"You have to come back," the Cabrera matriarch whispered.

"Don't worry, we're coming back," Aaron promised lovingly. "That's a promise I will not break for anything."

"If you do, I'm gonna go to the land of the dead, and kick you both back into the land of the living," the former lead engineer laughed as he too tried to hold back tears.

For the first time since the had arrived to the base, everyone laughed.

And Aaron swore to himself that this would not be the last time they did.

* * *

One more chapter to go before we get into the sequel! Up until I saw "The Dangerous Chemistry of Gandra Dee," I thought Gloria was a divorcee. But then when I saw her bring out the suit and claim it belonged to Fenton's dad, and I got the idea he had passed and that's why he's rarely brought up. And I figure that Fenton must have some Italian because of his battle cry when he rode Manny in "Shadow War." Anyway, Happy Readings!


	12. Chapter 12: A Star Too Stubborn to Fall

Chapter 12: A Star Too Stubborn to Fall

There's something unnerving about there being silence in a space that was normally filled with sound. Even the people who generally enjoyed the quiet would agree that too much of it was disturbing. And now Fenton knew why Aaron needed some sort of sound…and he couldn't help but feel brotherly overprotectiveness wash over him for his little brother.

When the two were done being fitted with the compacted light speed disks and the VIPs, they headed back to the park where the remnants of their fight remained. According to the data from Chispero and the S.H.U.S.H. scientists, the coordinates of the SOLENESTRITE were still right above the park area. As they found a clear spot to take off from, the young Latino duck saw, out of the corner of his eye, that Roxanne Featherly was there with her cameraman and the rest of her crew.

_Typical. Can never miss a scoop_, the techno hero thought in annoyance.

"Roxanne Featherly here to report the incredible and daring event about to take place. Just a little over an hour ago, the SOLENESTRITE, was revealed to not be a clean energy distributor but a deadly weapon that could wipe out all of Duckburg, perhaps even the world," Featherly said with dramatic flare to her voice. "Now Duckburg's well-known heroes, Gizmoduck and Starcaster, will be going up there to take down the dreaded mechanism and save us all. All the while, sporting new tech and outfits that look amazing, if I so say so myself."

Normally, he wouldn't mind the blonde news reporter, but right now he really rather not have anyone narrating his and Aaron's mission into space. However, he did have to agree that he and Aaron looked amazing with the way that the vibranium and from the VIPs had nearly covered their respective suits with symmetrical and elegant lines that traces their seams. That along with the light speed disks and the holovid communications components put into their suits, both were just about ready for space.

The two unlikely brothers were even wearing cameras that would display the events of the mission on the laptop and ear pieces so they could be given instructions, both of which were being equally handled by Gyro and Teri. Fenton noticed how Featherly was eyeing the two bright individuals, who were thankfully surrounded by the rest of the group. He did not envy them, despite how nervous he was about the whole.

"Ready to go back up into the stars, Hermanito?" Fenton inquired, eyes matching his humorous grin from behind his Gizmoduck helmet.

"Sure am. Ready to pop that black licorice-flavored Oxy-Chew into your mouth?" Aaron playfully shot back, eyes just as lively even with the mask portion of his suit covering them.

The blooming young scientist couldn't help but make a face as he fingered the dreaded package filled with the life-giving gum that's owner had poor flavor choices.

"This is why the gums' only restricted for space use. You have to be lost in space to be desperate enough to put up with the flavor," the young intern said earning him a full-hearted chuckle from the humanoid which became contagious as the mechanical-suited drake began to giggle as well.

The brotherly laughing stopped when they saw that both Plug-Head and brilliant rooster were giving them the go ahead. For a moment, they were a frozen as they scanned the faces of their loved ones. The anticipated and fearful looks of the kids, the loving and alarmed look in their mother's eyes as she held Nutmeg, the somber but encouraging looks of everybody else. They then proceeded to shake themselves out of it before activating their suits.

Immediately their bodies, or Aaron's suit's wings and Fenton's suit's upper body, began to glow blue as dust reverberated off the ground. Then before anyone knew it, they shot off into the sky where they would pass the atmosphere and burst into the star-filled territory of space.

"Please look after them both," the Cabrera matriarch prayed as she hugged the extraterrestrial cat closer.

"They're already exiting the exosphere," the former lead engineer announced.

"Initiating contact now," the head scientist added as he began messing with the equipment while his partner handled the computer, speaking into his headset. "Earth to Duckburg Duo. Come in Duckburg Duo."

For a minute, they all felt like the silence would crush their composure like the way a car would crush an old soda can.

But finally there was a crackle over the speakers before the voice of Gizmoduck spoke, _"We're reading you loud and clear guys!"_

"_Can you see us from your end too?" _Starcaster asked as well, almost making Gloria cry with relief.

"Hold on, hold on!" Teri said as he began to fiddle with the screen of the computer and the tablet he had given Aaron.

After a moment, the blue screen turned black before finally showing a picture. The screen was split into two videos, one showing the visor-covered duck and the other of the auburn-haired young man, the reason being the two facing each other. Both were happily and coolly waving.

"They made it!" Webby squealed happily, the rest of the group almost breaking into cheers.

"Hold the applause ladies and gentlemen, it's not over yet," the irritable genius said firmly.

"Gyro's right, this is where things get more complicated," the Plug-head confirmed before saying into the headset. "Alright, the SOLENESTRITE should be right in front of you. Keeping on towards it and then we'll guide you."

"_On it," _both said in unison.

As the turned away from each other so did videos which now showed more of the starry expanse of space, glances of the Earth, the Moon, and even the Sun itself, all which were breathtaking. However, there was one more thing that was breathtaking but not in a good way.

The satellite.

* * *

It didn't take very long for the two to reach the device, Aaron activating his newly upgraded shield while Fenton proceeded to take out the abort chip and pop another piece of Oxy-Chew in his mouth. He gagged at the taste of the foul flavor but it was soon forgotten when he saw their surroundings. Whereas the young Kree looked about the celestial space with nostalgic fondness, his brother was gaping at the cosmic wonders that very few from Earth had gotten to see.

Upon both placed their hands on the SOLENESTRITE machine to steady it and themselves and were surprised to discover how it felt. Even through their heat-resistant vibranium coating, they could feel the temperature of the metal. It was also emitting a low noise that was a cross between whirring and buzzing.

It was warm, which was as expected from something that was absorbing solar energy. They were surprised it was scorching hot. But the warmth felt weird, like a different kind of warmth. Not like an object that was being baked by the Sun but by something that was…thriving. Living.

Both brothers were quickly shaken by their thoughts when they heard Gyro begin to speak, _"The panel with the access port for you guys to stick the chip in should be to your lower right. Just open it up first then-Oh great!"_

"What happened?" Fenton inquired with concern.

"_Ms. Featherly is hovering over us," _the lead scientist grumbled in annoyance.

"Just ignore her Gyro, you can do this!" Aaron said encouragingly as he located the panel and pulled it open to reveal the wires, circuits, and other components.

"_Okay, now place the chip into one of the slots you see," _the young male robot instructed.

Gizmoduck obeyed, placing the chip into the second one in the line of slots, some with chips and some without, "Done, now what's next."

The next several minutes consisted of the two brothers trading information with the two more experienced science veterans. This included tasks such as cutting and plugging in certain wires, turning small knobs, pressing buttons, and even unveiling a miniature keypad. As they neared the end, though both were sweating from the stress, long process, and the heat itself, they began to talk.

"When this is over, I'll need a break. The moment Donald gets back, of course," the young Kree murmured as he adjusted the shield. "Maybe go visit Selene on Ithaquack, if Mr. God of Hospitality isn't there. Or maybe I'll just order the biggest thing they have at _Sugar Blush_, snag a book from that new book shop mixed with a candy store, and crash on the couch. Unless Mom develops a plan for a relaxing family outing. We'll see."

"We could go to the beach," the young intern said with a playful smile as he continued to type into the keyboard. "I bet you might even meet a certain someone."

"So will you," Aaron threw back before laughing. "But seriously, you need a break too. You've been doing this longer than I have."

"Never something this big before," the young Latino drake muttered sheepishly before giving a grateful and sincere smile. "Glad you're here with me!"

"Me too," the auburn-haired young man replied back with a caring smile to match his brother's, looking away with a thoughtful expression for a moment, before looking back at the blooming young scientist. "You think I can get Flurry to remake my birth certificate as Aaron Vellvett-Cabrera?"

That made Fenton freeze before slowly turning to the humanoid, looking at the hopeful and honest expression for a moment, before whispering with barely concealed joy and a smile to match, "I think we can make that happen."

Aaron smiled back before blinking as he heard sniffling and spoke, "Wait! Did everyone hear that?"

"Yes!" was the collective response which made Aaron's face turn blue while the young intern guffawed.

They both suddenly stopped and turned to it and saw that every part of the panel that had a light was dimming before shutting down. They back up to see the panels stop turning and the noise fade into nothing. Soon enough, they were standing before a giant, SILENT device.

"_What was that?" _Gyro asked in alarm.

"I-I-It turned off!" the young Latino drake gasped before starting to laugh. "We did it, Aaron! Blathering blatherskite, we did it!"

The auburn-haired young man began to laugh back as he heard cheers and whoops of joy emit from his headset, some of them sounding like they were coming from those outside his family and friends. Normally, he would have been a bit uncomfortable with people listening in on his conversation, but at that moment he didn't care. They had done it!

"_Great job guys! Now get back down here!" _the former lead engineer said excitedly.

As they both turned to the direction of Earth, admiring the swirling white over the navy blue and pine green, Fenton turned to his brother, patting him on the shoulder while grinning, "Still can't believe we did it."

Aaron returned the smile but was unable to keep it when he heard a creaking sound that caused him to look back, the young Latino drake mimicking the young Kree's movements. Their hearts sank with what they saw.

"_What's happening?" _the irritable genius demanded frantically, despite seeing everything through the cameras, as though hoping the two brothers could explain it better than he could.

The satellite appeared to be cracking. No, not cracking. _Shifting_. Fiery, bright orange seams appeared as they raced throughout the device's entire frame. A few parts began to fall off it but a few pieces remained. As they did, they saw wisps of solar energy flow out like lava or spreading flames on a flat surface. The remaining components then proceeded to mold and form what looked to be armor, not unlike the armor of Greek and Roman centurions while the helmet-like piece resembled that of a Mayan warrior's head piece.

As the solar energy began to fill in the armor, they saw it began to expand and firm. The hands and feet appeared to grow claws while a thin but whip-like tail began to form and lash about like someone waving a torch. As the head grew and expanded, horns began to form, stretching out to be longer than the claws and curling ever so slightly at the tips, making the dangerous being both taller and bigger than Storkules. Two slits opened, shining like bright yellow embers against the dark fiery face that narrowed upon locking onto the two brothers. The last thing was a mouth, a dark, hellish reddish-orange spurted out flickers of energy as it opened and let out raspy roars.

"Is anyone besides us seeing this?!" Gizmoduck hissed in panic as he and Starcaster continued to stair up at the creature.

"_A corrupted AI and plasma controlling nanites were one of the latest things she stole before the device was launched! This is what she must have used it for! She had a contingency plan of her own," _Beakley explained hurriedly in the background. _"She made this creature to finish off the Earth incase her plan was interrupted!"_

"_Boys, get out of there! NOW!" _the Gloria screamed into their earpieces.

Before they could even think to move, the solar demon raised one of its behemoth arms and back-handed the mechanical-suited drake, sending him flying several miles away.

"No!" the humanoid screamed before turning to the creature and yelled in utter fury. "You don't do that to my brother!"

The Sun Beast only growled as it raised its hand to strike him as well but Aaron was quick to bring up his shield so that the creature's hit only caused sparks of gold and blue as its arm met the whitish-blue photon surface of the shield. It seemed to be appalled by the structure as evident by how it held its arm, almost as if it the shield had stung it. The young Kree then recalled how Teri had rewired the shield to disperse any solar energy that touched it.

"You don't like that, huh?" the auburn-haired young man challenged. "Then I guess you won't like this!"

Without hesitation, he lunged at the solar demon, shield colliding with the armored chest as the humanoid shoved the enemy hard but did not pull away. Even with the armor, Aaron could see slivers of solar energy began to flow out of the seams of the creature's armor, causing it to let out screeches of rage and pain. Suddenly, the auburn-haired young man felt something warm wrap around him. He looked down to see the Sun Beast's powerful whip of a tail curled around his waist and mid-section.

"Aw phooey," Aaron groaned as the massive tail ripped him away from the body he was shoving against and throwing him a few feet away.

However, sensing that Aaron was the bigger threat to its being that needed to be _dealt _with, the creature kept its attention on the humanoid and proceeded to launch more attacks, snarling the whole way. Meanwhile, Fenton remained afloat in the location he had been smacked to, his Helmet-copter having been damaged by the Sun Beast's attack as it was not coated by the vibranium coating. Something to share and upgrade with Chispero another day. Speaking of which, it appeared his earpiece must have been damaged because all he was hearing was static. Unknown to the blooming young scientist, his brother's earpiece was only emitting static as well, no doubt due to the clashes with their newly awakened enemy.

"C'mon!" the techno hero growled in annoyance and desperation as he did an accidental, zero-gravity somersault while reaching for the panel on his arm where that would allow him to fix the Helmet-copter, though his eyes never left the two fighting figures.

Rarely missing a swipe that could have taken his head off, a few strands of hair getting nipped, the young Kree snarled, "Okay, playtime is over."

Revving up his wings, causing them to glow a brighter blue from the energy coursing through them, before pushing forward and ramming himself and his shield into the solar demon who then proceeded to grab a firm hold of Aaron as they rolled through the air. Without realizing it, the two combatants began moving further away, the bursts of escape solar energy, propulsions of the humanoid's wings, and their thrashing, heading towards another celestial body.

The Moon.

"AARON!" the techno hero could only scream in terror and stretch a hand out in futility as he watch both descend onto the Earth's natural silvery-gray satellite.

* * *

Aaron didn't register that he and his opponent were heading to the Moon until both simultaneously hit the lunar surface. Although, thankfully, the Sun Beast and the shield had cushioned his fall, the creature was quicker to push him off, stand, and start running in a random direction. Pushing himself up and shaking himself off, the humanoid grabbed his shield and proceeded to run after the distant form of the solar demon.

It took about under ten minutes for Aaron to catch up with his opponent. When he did, he saw that the creature was standing menacingly in front of a large rock where it had made a shallow crater the size of a rhino in front of said rock, staring at it like a coyote would eye a field mouse. The rock itself seemed peculiar, not due to the gold marks on it but rather the way they were shaped. The circle patterns and lines were too perfect for a place only inhabited by gold-eating fauna. Starcaster also took note of the cracks that were most likely done by the creature itself on the rock. His heart nearly stopped as he saw the cracks around the crater and the creature began to emit a medium orange glow.

He tore his eyes away when his eyes saw a small light glowing in the place where Chispero had placed the holovid upgrade. Pressing on the light, a small light shot out a few inches from the space to project a holographic screen which depicted a stressed Plug-Head and the rest of his family behind him, all looking relieved as they saw him.

"_Aaron, thank the Grand CPU you're alive! The camera cut to black for a moment but when it came back on, the sound was out. And we're not getting anything on the headsets from your side," _Teri exclaimed. _"Where are you?"_

"On the Moon," the young Kree replied back before quickly asking worriedly. "And my brother?"

"_He's fine. We just checked on him. He's fixing his Helmet-Copter," _Scrooge said reassuringly. _"You?"_

"I've got company," Starcaster muttered coldly as he turned him arm to show them the creature. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

The former lead engineer gravely as the British duck looked on in alarm, _"It must be the corrupted AI. It thinks it's on Earth!"_

"_And by the looks of it, it's getting ready to do some major damage," _Gyro added.

"How major?" Aaron demanded.

"_Try full-blown destruction," _the young male robot said gravely.

"_It's going to destroy the Moon!" _the kids all screamed in unison.

"_Estrellito, get out of there!" _the Cabrera matriarch screamed.

"I can't let it destroy the Moon! There's life on here!" the humanoid argued stubbornly.

"_What in the name of all that is good are you talking about?" _Flurry snapped.

"I'll explain later. Right now, I got to handle this," the auburn-haired young man said before hanging up before they could stop him.

Seeing how distracted the Sun Beast was, Aaron used that to his advantage as he gave a running start before jumping up high, thanks to his own superhuman agility and the low gravity, readying his shield to strike. He came down hard on the creature's back, striking its slightly exposed neck which not only caused it to scream in surprise and agony.

"Hey, ugly! Didn't forget about me, did you?!" the humanoid snapped as he dug his shield in deep to the solar demon's neck, hoping to decapitate it.

He didn't get the chance as the creature started bucking around maniacally as Aaron confidently held on, momentarily thinking back to when he would go to a country fair and watch grown Terran men do the same on horses. However, the whole thing was short-lived as it bucked the young Kree and his shield right off, sending them sprawling a few meters away. Aaron didn't even get the chance to get up as it pounced on him, holding him down with one giant, clawed hand while the other slowly brought one claw towards its face.

Starcaster forced himself to bite back a groan of surprise and pain as the claw made contact with the left side of his head as he tried to turn away, the claw leaving a cut the length of a paper clip under his left ear. Summoning all the strength in his legs, he bent them so they were right under the creature's abdomen and kicked out. _Hard. _Thankfully, it got the reaction the auburn-haired young man wanted as it roared upon being forced back. Before it could fully pull away, the young Kree managed to grab its arm and rib off the metal adorning it.

As soon as he had done so the creature reeled back, screeching all the way as the solar energy seemed to escape its makeshift armor before it slammed its naked "fist" into the ground. Aaron stared in confusion before gaping as gold began to crawl up out of the grown like snakes, covering the solar energy. Soon, the Sun Beast was roaring with glee as he raised his new gold appendage and brought it down hard on the ground, causing tremors.

"Blathering Blatherskite, it can do that too?!" Starcaster screamed in frustration, feeling like he wanted to tear out his eyes as he grabbed his shield. "Well, a pretty new arm isn't gonna save you from getting what's coming to you!"

That being said, both charged at each other, golden fist meeting shield. It went like this for what seemed like forever but was actually a little more than a half an hour. More than once, the solar demon's attacks caught the auburn-haired young man off guard and made contact with the smaller body. However, the humanoid refused to give in, continuing to hit the exposed parts of his opponent's body with every chance he got and with every ounce of energy he had.

But in one quick move, the Sun Beast grabbed Aaron's head with its golden appendage and proceeded to slam him and toss him about like a rag doll. Even with his superhuman strength, durability, and healing factor, Starcaster couldn't help but bite back yells of pain at every impact he made with the Moon's surface. Finally, the creature seemed to be satisfied with its work as it dropped the humanoid like nothing onto the ground before stalking back to its crater.

For a few minutes, Aaron merely laid there, midnight blue blood streaming from both nostrils as it also dripped from his mouth and down his chin. Thank the heavens he didn't feel any loose or missing teeth. As he rolled onto his back and stared at the endless, starry sky, he recalled the first time he recalled all the times he would star-gaze with Kayla.

He would always feel a little bad when she commented how lucky anyone would be to see the stars up close and how she would give anything to have the same privilege. Heck, she even said it would be the cherry on top to go to the Moon. It killed him inside to know he could never tell her that he could make her wish come true. It pained him even more knowing he would never be able to keep any of the promises they made together. Suddenly, he remembered the promise. That very special promise.

"_Don't worry, we're coming back. That's promise I will not break for anything."_

Those words echoed through his head before being cut off by a loud, _"C'mon, get up!"_

He immediately bolted up as he looked around only to see the creature digging its claws into the Moon soil and the cracks began to glow that same ominous orange. As he saw this, his thoughts flashed between his time on Earth D and his visit to the Moon. Meeting his family, friends, and the friendly Moon-mite. Two worlds. One second chance.

Jumping up with his shield in hand, he began running while whispering to himself, "I hope this works."

Reeling the arm holding the shield back as har as he could, he swung forward and let go, watching it race through the air where it made contact with the creature's lower back with a harsh _clang_. Upon ricocheting off, earning the humanoid a roar of surprise and fury, the Sun Beast snapped around and bared its flame like teeth at its challenger.

As the auburn-haired young man raced forward to quickly catch the rebounding shield, smirking victoriously, he locked eyes with the narrowed embers, before saying, "Hey, hot-head! You think this dance is over?"

The solar demon gave an irritated growl before shooting up and charging at him, golden fist raised high above its head. But Aaron stood his ground, crouched down, and waited for the right moment. Just as the fist was coming down towards him, the humanoid jumped out of the way before crouching down and pouncing forward, reeling his shield-wielding fist back and then striking it into the creature's face. It screamed in utter agony as its face distorted for a minute due to the loss of solar energy.

But Aaron was not about to give it a chance to get itself in order.

"Leave. The. Moon. Alone!" he screamed as he thrust punches at the enemy, including a upper cut punch.

Again, he lashed out at the creature. And again. And again. He did not let up as he delivered every strike he could, kicking and punching. With every hit he got, he thought about all the people he was fighting for.

His mother. His brother. His sister. His friends. His allies. His home.

As he handed another hit with his shield, the solar demon snarled and brought another fist down on the lunar surface, causing dust to pick up. But the young Kree did not cease as he threw a more vicious punch that caused the creature to lift off the ground. Taking advantage of the light gravity, Aaron jumped up as well before taking his shield, positioning it vertically, and then brought it down hard on the Sun Beast's armored chest, causing it to crack as they both landed on the ground hard.

The humanoid panted from all the exertion, thanking fate for his suit's strong atmosphere layer, as he kneeled on the still being's chest for a moment before standing up, pulling out the shield, and saying, "You're not getting the Moon. Or any planet. Not now. Not ever."

A minute past before the solar demon's ember eyes shot open and it stood up, throwing Starcaster off, who landed with ease though skidding back a bit, head rearing back as it roared to the stars above. At that moment, Aaron saw the crack grow bigger as more solar energy began to flow out. He also noticed that the being's whole body was beginning to distort and something was going on with its back. Suddenly, two large bat-like wings of solar plasma burst out of its back. The creature gave them a few flaps before taking off, body still losing composure.

"We finish this now!" the humanoid exclaimed out loud as he took off after his foe.

As his wings activated, though he did notice they were a bit dinged up, he shot off after the creature, not knowing he had more than one group of audiences.

* * *

While following it, he was joined by his brother who looked ready to cry upon seeing him.

"I'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you," Fenton said, voice full of apology, shame, and regret. "The stupid zero gravity-!"

"Fenton, it's fine," Aaron reassured urgently and sincerely. "Right now, we need to put this abomination out of commission for good!"

The mechanical-suited drake could only nod and smile but stopped in alarm alongside the other when they saw the Sun Beast. It seemed to be writhing in what looked like pain, both gold clawed hand and plasma clawed hand gripping its head as it roared and its wings flapped incoherently. But what was most alarming was how the plasma appeared to be exiting the makeshift body in wild, lashing ribbons that matched its untamed tail.

"What's going on now?" the auburn-haired young man asked in alarm.

"The nanites must be overloading," Gizmoduck said quickly. "It's gonna burst."

The young Kree's stomach dropped as he caught sight of the other satellites, including the Moon, before saying, "If that happens then all the consequences Gyro told us could happen _will _happen!"

"We have to do something! But what?" the blooming young scientist groaned as he figuratively and metaphorically wracked his head. "C'mon! Think!"

Starcaster looked between the creature and the Earth as he tried to wrack his brain. When his eyes fell on the shield, a plan began to form. As it did so, he bit his lip at the distracted young intern. Fighting with his doubts for what awhile, he sighed before putting a hand to the armored shoulder to grab the other's attention.

"Listen, clear all the satellites away from the area as far as you can," the humanoid said firmly.

"What are you gonna do?" the young Latino duck inquired worriedly.

"I'm gonna adjust to adjust and heighten the solar energy dispersal upgrade that Teri put on here. Then, I'm gonna shove into that monster's stupid face," Starcaster growled the last part before adding. "And, hopefully, it'll be all over."

"Are you sure?" Fenton asked nervously. "What if something goes wrong? What if it's not enough? What if-?"

He was stopped when his brother took his head and slowly brought his helmet-covered forehead and pressed it against his own, looking gently in his adoptive sibling's eyes.

"Everything will be alright. I promise," Aaron in his most sincere and brotherly voice before pushing away and turning his attention to his shield. "Now go."

Slowly, the techno hero nodded before turning and flying towards the nearest satellite and began pushing it away from the area. While the visor-covered duck did that, the humanoid went straight to work as he began messing with the wires.

_I hope you can forgive me for messing with the modification, Teri, _the young Kree thought with a wince, aware of everything that was being recording on the still online camera. _Everyone else…I hope this works and I'm able to save you. _

When he was done, he saw that the young intern was still moving satellites which made him feel relief until the creature let out another roar as its body began to distort and writhe even more drastically. Starcaster quickly finished what he was doing before checking to make sure that the techno hero had gone back to his own task before flying toward the solar demon, shield active and ready.

Grunting, he pushed passed the solar energy that licked the space around them as the shield dispersed it. It wasn't until it made close contact with the shattered chest armor did it suddenly register Aaron's presence and attempted to strike him with its golden-clawed hand but the auburn-haired young man was ready. He caught the hand and used all the strength he had left to spare to keep the offending limb at bay as he continued to push the shield against the practically shattered metal plating. The Sun Beast appeared to be trying to hold on to what was left of its body, reaching in a vain attempt to pull back the fleeting ribbons that use to make up its form.

Thank goodness the tail was nothing but a stub now.

Finishing his work, the mechanical-suited drake turned to check on his brother and was surprised and mollified to see him in the throes of the final finish with the solar demon. When he was about to shout out to his brother about what he was doing when it clicked in its head. The satellites. Keeping him busy. Aaron readjusting the shield. Holding onto the creature.

"No," he whispered in horror just as the solar energy became more erratic and violent, its body began to glow as bright as the Day Star. "NO! AARON!"

He quickly raced towards the two but barely got half-way as blinding light burst from the creature's body.

The last thing he saw was his brother's determined face.

* * *

The darkness was a funny thing.

It could be associated with anything. The end of the day. The coming of a surprise. A time to find relaxation and comfort. Something forbidden. Death.

_Wait! Am I dead? _Aaron thought to himself.

It wasn't death alone that scared him. It was the knowledge that he had once again broken one of the promises he made. Would they forgive them for that? He hoped so.

Unsurprisingly, he felt no pain. However, he didn't feel numbness. It was if he was in the same place he had been when he had met Morpheus. He could still feel his hands and legs but he felt too tired to move them. The young Kree recalled how he and Kayla would just drift around in her pool and how it brought him peace. So, that's what he did. He drifted.

As he did so, he noticed something; a small gold-colored speck, like a firefly, floating towards him. Carefully, he brought his hand up so it could land in his palms. For a moment, he looked at it a bit tiredly but with great intrigue. Suddenly, small wisps of gold light began to flow from it, rising to the area above like smoke from a put-out campfire or a person's misty breath in the winter. When he looked away, he saw that he was slowly being engulfed by a white light.

And that's when he heard a voice say, _You did swell, kid_.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, he suddenly began coughing as he squeezed his eyes shut and began coughing harshly, struggling to get a breath in in between his fits. When he finally managed to suck in a gasp of breath, he was met with a blinding light. Blinking several times, the light faded to show a bunch of figures. As it sharpened, he was finally greeted with the faces of his family and friends, many of whom were gazing at him teary-eyed.

"I-I'm alive?" he croaked out in astonishment.

"Yeah, you are alive, Hermanito," Fenton, who had his visor up and was holding bridal-style, said as tears of joy and relief before nuzzling his brother. "Don't you ever scare me like that again!"

"Or me! Don't ever do it again!" Gloria jumped in sobbing as she hugged the two as best as she could while planting kiss on either side of their cheeks. "I'm so glad you're both safe. Mi Pollito and Estrellito."

"You came back!" Webby said with tears but an ecstatic smile as she and the boys gently hugged him, mainly his arm.

"I promised I would, didn't I?" the humanoid chuckled before Launchpad jumped in.

"Check out your hair!" the buff drake declared with shining eyes as he pulled out a mirror and shoved it to Aaron's face.

Starcaster's mouth dropped open upon seeing his reflection. Everything about him was the same, although he supposed he did look a bit more tanned, except for one thing. The sun golden streak running from the left front of his hair to all the way to the back.

"If I hadn't just gone toe-to-toe with a solar monster, I would say you guys are pulling a prank on me," the young Kree breathed in total astonishment as he ran a hand through his newly streaked hair. "What am I gonna do?"

"I say keep it! It makes you look cool!" Dewey said as his brothers nodded.

It was then that Aaron took note of the rest of his suit. It was intact but no longer had the vibranium covering. Neither did Fenton's. It had ash covering a good amount of it and he saw that the compartment where the holovid modification had been in was empty and a bit damaged. His eyes fell on Teri who was currently holding the two patches, the damaged but repairable shield, and one of the light speed disks. Wait one?

"You lost the holovid modification and one of the light speed disks," the Plug-Head explained as if reading his friend's mind. "But those can be replaced. You can _never _be replaced."

"At least I still got the tablet," Aaron chuckled.

"I'll see what I can do," the former lead engineer winked. "Still got the Protoract and the rest of the vibranium too!"

"You know, Mar-Vell had it set so that it could sense biological stats that told when to lock itself," the humanoid smiled.

"And that means?" the young male robot inquired though his smile showed he understood.

"That means you were able to extract energy because it knew you were a good person," the young auburn-haired man stated with a sincere grin.

Slowly, he got out of his brother's arms and stood, everyone in the group taking care to make sure he didn't fall, discovering he was in the middle of the park. It was then that he also noticed something was in his left hand. Opening it, he found a gold nugget in the shape of a star.

"I can't believe there was gold on the Moon!" the Scottish drake gasped. "Wait a minute, did you know about this earlier?"

The young Kree shrugged guiltily, "I didn't know whether you would believe me. Thought you had a limit to what things people would say."

Rather than getting annoyed or mad, Scrooge just laughed as he patted Starcaster's arm, "You still have a lot to learn, lad."

The humanoid just shrugged before bending down to Webby's level and offering her the golden star. She carefully took it and looked at it in amazement before holding it close to her chest and then hugging him. Once again, he found himself in a group hug. This time, Flurry, Gyro, and Manny joined in via patting Aaron's back through the cluster of arms.

"Now what's this about life on the Moon?" the formidable agent asked with professional curiosity.

Before the auburn-haired young man could speak, Storkules lifted him up and placed him on his shoulders, not unlike the way he did with the kids, while putting a hand on Gizmoduck's shoulder and shouting, "Three cheers for the great heroes of Duckburg!"

From his perch on the immortal anthro's shoulder, he saw the mass of Duckburg begin to make their way towards them, looks of awe, admiration, and happiness shining on their faces as they cheered and applauded the heroes, and the whole group by extension. The young Kree couldn't help but stare in amazement and disbelief himself as a bewildered smile spread over his face. That's when he spotted Roxanne Featherly, who must have gotten separated from the group when Fenton brought the both of them back to Duckburg.

Straightening her hair and clothes, the blonde news reporter turned to her cameraman and began speaking, "It seems after about two or so hours of waiting and praying, Gizmoduck and Starcaster have safely returned to Duckburg, successful in saving out fair city from the clutches of evil and destruction!"

She then snapped towards the humanoid himself, holding out her mic, and asked, "After conquering the perils of fighting an abomination of crooked science in space, what do you have to say?"

Taking a deep breath and pausing for a moment, Starcaster leaned forward and said in a soft, sincere voice while looking directly at the camera, "It's good to be home."

That's when everyone began cheering and clapping again. All Aaron could do was stay with his friends and family.

* * *

"Alright children, let's call it a day and get inside for some dinner," Beakley said softly as she guided the children towards the manor alongside the eldest duck while waving goodbye to Laucnhpad.

After getting things settled, making sure both brothers were alright, and talking with Flurry, the six anthros decided to call it a day and head home despite it barely turning late evening. If they had to be honest, none of them wanted to leave the Cabrera family but both young Kree and young Latino drake had reassured them that they would see one another the next day. Of course, after Aaron's endeavor, the world's greatest adventurer would be taking the kids out for a day with something called the Cartographer's Quill while the auburn-haired young man relaxed.

"Imagine; all the money, daring adventure, infinite wisdom, and untold mysteries of the world literally at your fingertips!" the richest duck in the world exclaimed. "This could be the most important moment of your- What on Earth?! Who left the darn door open!?"

Suddenly, everyone stopped to see that, in fact, the door to the manor was open a crack, causing the undauntable housekeeper to whisper, "Stay here! I'll go around back!"

With that said, the retired agent quickly ran to the back of the house, leaving her friend and employer to handle the front with the four ducklings. Ever so slowly, they moved in closer, completely confused, intrigued, and caution. The granduncle of four never broke eye contact with the door as he reached for the knob, cane wielded high above his head, ready to defend his family. Just as his hand was inches from the doorknob, it suddenly flew open.

However, instead of smacking the intruder with his cane, he only stared in utter shock at the one who opened it.

"'Sup party people, I'm back in the hizz-! Oh no. No, it was wrong as soon as I said it. Sorry, that was terrible! Can I get a do?"

None of them said anything, their eyes locked on the one before them. The only thing that happened was their eyes widening even more as they saw two more figure step into view to stand behind the first one.

"I told you it was a dumb introduction."

* * *

Here is the final chapter! Cliffhanger! Sequel will begin next week! Stay tuned! Be warned, the sequel will have more yaoi and yuri! Don't like, don't read! Remember too, it's an AU. My story, my rules. Happy Readings!


	13. Chapter 13: Sequel is Up!

Sequel Up

I was given the advice to notify everyone that the sequel to "Lonely Star No More" is up! It's called Moonrises and Shooting Stars! It's currently four chapters right now and I hope you all enjoy it! Be warned that it's an AU as well and it's filled with slash and femslash.

Thank you and enjoy!


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